Unforgettable
by Lady-Ravenhawk
Summary: As the wedding draws near, tragedy strikes Gohan's fiancee. Withdrawing from him and their friends, she seeks ways to escape from the nightmarish memories that plague her at night. Can Gohan save her from her addictions, or will her actions ruin their chances for happiness?
1. Taken

Pale, slender feet slipped into the cool water of the creek. It was early morning and everyone up at the campsite was still sleeping. Lindsey wasn't sure what had woken her, but felt an overwhelming urge for a quick dip in the creek.

She now stood waist-deep in the clear water. The creek was more like a river, one of the small, rock-bottomed, clear water rivers that Missouri was notorious for. Early morning sunlight filtered through the leaves of the trees which lined the banks of the creek. A warm breeze swept over her naked torso, her blood-red curls flying and swirling about her head. Leaves fell from the trees like confetti, making small ripples on the surface of the water.

It was beautiful – the breeze, the clear water, the rays of sunlight – and Lindsey lost herself in it. She was so wrapped up in her surroundings that she didn't even hear the approaching four-wheelers.

"Whoooo! Ain't that purty?" a strongly southern-accented male voice cried.

Lindsey gasped and clutched her arms over her chest. It took a minute to recognize the boys standing on the bank, staring at her.

"Jonah and Cody Johnson!" she growled. "Get your rude asses off my property!"

"No, I don't think we will," Cody said over the fat wad of chew in his bottom lip. He spat into the creek.

"We heard you drug your sorry ass back here. I told you we'd get revenge."

"Revenge for what?" Lindsey demanded.

"After you stole that horse and flew off to China –"

"Japan, you idiot."

"They confiscated the animals," Jonah continued. "Shut us down and arrested Pa."

"Good. Your dad deserves everything he gets," she hissed.

"Get her," Cody said in a low voice and both boys jumped in the creek and grabbed her arms, even as she made to get away.

"Goha-" she screamed for her fiancé, but one of the boys grabbed the hair on the back of her head and shoved her face into the creek. She struggled and kicked, grasping desperately at the boys' shirts in an attempt to pull her head up for air. She could hear them laughing and thought wildly 'they're going to kill me!' She felt herself being pulled up by the hair and gratefully sucked in lungfulls of air.

"What are we gonna do with her, Jonah?"

"I wouldn't mind tappin' that," Jonah grinned and smacked her bare ass.

A new panic swept over her and she began to scream again. Tears streamed from her eyes as her head was shoved under the water again. Just when she thought she was going to pass out from oxygen deprivation, she was allowed up again.

"Now you shut your mouth or I'll kill you," Jonah hissed in her ear before sinking his fist in her stomach.

"No," she whined, trying to think of an escape.

Cody spat in the creek again and punched her right eye. It became a free-for-all. The Johnson boys' hatred for her overcame them as they began to punch, slap and kick every inch of her that they could reach. A few minutes later, she collapsed, unable to defend herself. Jonah dunked her quickly, rinsing away the blood that covered her face, then dropped her on the creek crossing, which was an enormous sheet of flat, red rock where the water was shallow and made it easy for trucks to drive across the creek. Her head hit with a sickening smack.

She drifted in and out of consciousness for a few minutes, until the weight of Jonah's body on top of her brought her sharply back to reality.

"No," she moaned.

"Oh, you're gonna take it," Jonah said, his hands forcing her legs open. "And you're gonna like it." He wadded up a handkerchief and stuffed it into her mouth, then pinned her arms over her head. "You deserve every bit of this, bitch," and he plunged himself into her as she bawled through the wad of fabric gagging her mouth.

Gohan awoke first that morning. He laid flat on his back on the outside of his sleeping bag. The warm spring breeze blew against his face, carrying with it the smells of the morning dew, fresh earth, horses and clean air. It was humid, but comfortable.

Nearby on a bale of straw, lay Trunks, his head hanging backwards off the bale and his arms draping off to either side. A pretty girl, Catie, with long, golden brown hair was sprawled on his chest, both of them sound asleep. Catie's long legs dangled down to the ground as she slept. It amazed Gohan that they hadn't fallen off the bale in their sleep.

Piccolo was sleeping, propped up against a large log, with his girlfriend, Jenny, lying on the ground beside him. Jenny laid on her side, curled up next to Piccolo's leg, his arm resting on her shoulder. Jenny had Lindsey's "MOBERLY SPARTANS" blanket thrown over her. It was red, white, and blue with a large Spartan head on it. Her dark brown hair lay in pools around her as she slept.

Seventeen lay with his head in his girlfriend's lap. He was clad only in his favorite jeans. His girlfriend, Leelee, leaned back against a straw bale, her short, dark hair falling across her face. Seventeen's eyes were open and he stared straight into the sky.

Gohan yawned, stretched, and sat up. He looked around and it was then that he realized that Lindsey was no where in sight. "Lindsey?" he called loudly.

Catie opened her eyes sleepily. "What?"

"Lindsey's gone," Gohan said, standing up and scanning the field. There was no sign of her, nor anyone else, anywhere.

"I thought she was with you last night," Jenny said groggily.

"She was," Gohan said. "I never heard her wake up."

"Maybe she went up to the house for something," Leelee said nervously.

"Maybe . . ." Gohan agreed uncertainly. "Let's go up and check."

Twenty minutes later, the group arrived at the house. Trunks paused to knock on the door, but Sabriena hip-bumped him out of the way and walked in like she owned the place. Shayne was sitting at the kitchen island, reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee.

"Shayne, have you seen Lindsey?" Sabriena asked.

"No, I thought she was with you."

"She was," Gohan said, yet again.

"Hmm. She'll turn up," Shayne shrugged, unconcerned. "She does this from time to time."

"You're not worried?" Gohan asked.

"Nah," Shayne replied. "It's a big ranche. She's here somewhere." Shayne set down his cup of coffee and met Gohan with a stern gaze. "Unless you think she's somewhere else."

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I mean," Shayne said into his newspaper. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and slid it across the counter. "Xander's number is in there."

Gohan sighed and stared at the closed phone.

"Gohan . . ." Catie started, but cut herself short at the hurt look he gave her.

Gohan picked up the phone and called Xander's number. A groggy voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Xander?"

"Yeah."

"Is Lindsey there?"

"Shayne?"

"No, this is Gohan."

"Dude, I haven't seen her. What's up?"

"I don't know where she is."

"Well, if she's here, I haven't seen her yet. I'll tell her to call you. Don't worry, dude, she's around. She'll turn up."

Frustrated, Gohan slammed the phone down on the granite counter top, shattering the phone. "I'll buy you a new one," he told Shayne darkly and left the room.

Author's Note: WOW! I haven't written in nearly 5 years! I forgot how good it feels. ^_^ Well, an update with me. I got married, I got divorced. I got married again, and this time I think I got it right! I am back living in my hometown and I now have two beautiful little boys. The oldest is nearly 3 years old and my youngest is close to 8 months old.


	2. Searching

Lindsey awoke to the smell of damp earth. It was dark and wet, wherever she was. Her entire body ached and she realized she was still naked. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she realized she was in an old root cellar. Rickety wooden stairs led up to a heavy, wood door at the top of the cellar, making up most of its ceiling. A few tiny rays of afternoon sunlight streamed through the boards. Lindsey quickly climbed the stairs and pressed her shoulder against it. It moved aout an inch, but she heard the metallic crunching of a chain on the other side and the door refused to budge anymore. She began to scream and beat on the door for the better part of an hour, but no one ever came. She sat on the steps, hugging herself and crying. She wanted Gohan beside her now, more than ever.

After a few hours of sitting alone in the dark, she heard the sound of voices approaching. For a single, fleeting moment her heart leapt, thinking Gohan had found her. But then she recognized the Johnson boys' voices and she scrambled down the stairs to cower in the corner. She thought about her powers and tried to summon fire to throw at the boys. All she managed to produce was a small flame, about the size of one produced by a cigarette lighter, and it quickly fizzled out. She simply didn't have the strength.

The chain clinked and crunched against the door and late day sunlight flooded the cellar. The silhouettes of two young men tromped down the rickety stairs towards her.

Jonah grinned crookedly at her. "You ready for round two?"

"Please, Jonah," she begged. "Don't do this."

"Say you're sorry and help us get Pa outta jail," Cody said. "Get our farm going again and we'll let you go."

"Never," she growled at them, at which she received a hard kick to the jaw. Her ear popped and the inside of her cheek began to bleed.

"I reckon we need to take that attitude down a few notches," Jonah said, pulling a hunting knife from his belt.

"No," she whimpered.

"Just do as you're told," Jonah said, stepping close to her and tipping her face towards him with the tip of his knife. "And easy with the teeth, or you'll lose 'em."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jenny sat on Piccolo's lap in the big, squashy armchair in the living room. Catie and Trunks sat side-by-side on the loveseat, while Leelee, Seventeen and Sabriena were squashed together on the couch. No one was saying a word.

Gohan was pacing back and forth in the middle of the room. The grandfather clock chimed mid-night. Tension emanated from Gohan and lay thick on the air in the room. He clutched a phone in his hand and tried the number again. It rang and rang, but there was no answer. Then he called the other number he'd been trying all day. A voice rang over the phone, "Hi, you've reached Lindsey and I wasn't available to take your call. But if you leave your name, number, and a brief message, I'll get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks and have a great day." Angrily, he snapped the phone shut.

Leelee stared miserably at her cell phone clutched in Gohan's hand. Surely she was remembering what had happened to Shayne's earlier in the day.

"I don't understand why our parents won't answer," Trunks said.

Gohan shrugged in an irritated sort of way and began to pace again. "I don't know. That's the number of their hotel."

"I say we go looking for her ourselves," Piccolo said.

"We looked all afternoon, honey," Jenny said softly. "I don't know where else to look. She's not in any of the barns, the house, the old farm house down the road…"

"Why don't you call the police and file a missing person's report?" Catie suggested.

Gohan spun on the spot and glared at Catie. Trunks began to sit up straighter as if to protect Catie from the threat of Gohan's verbal assault, but Gohan heaved a sigh and said, "I think I'm going to have to." And Trunks settled back into the loveseat.

An hour later, two officers showed up at the house. They spoke to everyone and took statements about when the last time they'd seen Lindsey.

"Is there anyone you can think of that would want to hurt Lindsey?" the female officer asked.

"Not that I can think of," Gohan answered.

"She used to run with a rough crowd back in the day," the male officer said, "Do you think anyone from that bunch had anything to do with it?"

Gohan shook his head. "No. In fact, they've been looking for her, too. They searched the whole warehouse."

"We'll need a picture of her," the female officer was telling Jenny. Jenny nodded and headed to a china cabinet at the back of the living room. She opened the cabinet underneath and pulled out a photo album.

"We should find something in here," Jenny said, and began to flip through the pictures.

"Someone's here," Sabriena said softly, staring out the window as gravel crunched outside.

The female officer went to the door and opened it. She spoke briefly to the person outside, then turned to the officer in the house. "The search team is here."

The male officer turned to the group in the livingroom and said, "Do any of you have an article of clothing that belonged to the victim? It would help the search dogs find her."

Knots twisted up sharply in Gohan's stomach at the words "the victim". It made him picture his future wife lying dead somewhere alone. He quickly brushed the horrific image from his mind.

"I'll get something," Jenny offered, setting down the photo album and running up the stairs. She returned a few minutes later, holding one of Lindsey's favorite black shirts. The officer took it and headed outside, followed by the group.

"Don't worry, son," the male officer said, clapping Gohan on the back. "We'll find her."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Armed with flashlights, the search began. The police took their search dogs and began to follow them. The dogs led to the campsite where the group had stayed the night before. From there, they followed a small trail down through some trees to the creek. Beside the creek lay a pile of clothing.

"That's Lindsey's stuff!" Catie proclaimed as the officer picked it up. "She was wearing that last night!"

The dogs began to wander up and down the edge of the water, but seemed lost. They kept returning to the spot where the clothes had lain, and then wander again.

"So, she's naked somewhere?" Sabriena asked.

"It would appear that way," the female officer said.

"So now what?" Seventeen asked.

"I wonder if the current carried her down-river somewhere," the male officer who had been with them at the house said.

"The current isn't that strong, is it?" Jenny asked skeptically.

The male officer shrugged. "It could be."

Gohan stared at the river, completely lost as to what to do next. 'Lindsey,' he thought, 'where are you?'


	3. Found

Two days later, Lindsey lay sobbing on the floor of the cellar as the Johnson boys stood over her laughing.

"Please stop," she begged. "I'll do anything you want."

"We can't let her go now," Cody said to his brother.

"What do we do?" Jonah asked.

"Kill her?"

Lindsey made a strangled screaming sound as they began to casually discuss her murder.

"We could dump her body in the hog pen up at the ol' Thornburg place," Jonah said. "Them hogs'd have a hay-day with her."

"Wouldn't be nuthin' left ter find," Cody agreed. "We can't get no blood on us, though. They find our clothes with blood on 'em and we're fucked."

"Please . . ." Lindsey begged. Cody socked her again, and she threw herself on the floor, sobbing.

"We could just burn the clothes. Ain't no one gonna pay no attention if we have a bonfire," Jonah suggested.

"True," Cody said, staring at her. "She ain't fightin' back much no more. It's getting boring."

Jonah looked at her for a minute before he said, "I reckon we'll keep her a bit longer. I ain't done with her yet."

"Sexaholic," Cody muttered and took a seat in the corner. He picked up the bowie knife and began to play with it as he watched his brother strip and move towards the nude girl, cowering in the opposite corner. He started tossing the knife in the dirt wall, watching in amusement as it stuck and pulling it back out again, not paying attention to the girl who screamed and begged for mercy, not ten feet away.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Hey guys! We're back!" Goku exclaimed as he and the other Z-Fighters walked through the front door.

"Shhhhhhhh!" Catie hushed, casting a wary eye at Gohan, who lay sleeping on the couch. "He just fell asleep." She motioned for them to follow her into the kitchen.

"Where is everyone?" Krillin asked as they walked into the kitchen.

"Looking for Lindsey," Catie answered. Her voice was flat and tired.

"Huh?" Goku asked.

"She's been missing for three days," Catie answered sadly as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

"What?!" Yamcha exclaimed. "Where could she be?"

"Anywhere," Catie answered. When she looked up at them, they saw the dark circles around her eyes. "There's over two-thousand acres out there, and that's assuming she's still on the ranch."

"Have you looked everywhere?" Tien asked.

"We're trying," Catie said, taking a shaky breath. "The police say that they think. . ." she breathed heavily, "that they'll find. . . the body. . . somewhere along the creek. . ." Catie's voice cracked and she collapsed against the counter, her body rocked with sobs.

Goku dropped to his knees beside her and took her by the shoulders. "What do you mean 'the body'?" His tone was low and deathly.

Catie attempted to answer, but between the sobs and her random gulps of air, couldn't form any words.

Goku shook her once, hard. "What do you mean?!" he yelled.

"They think she's dead!" Catie screamed and threw herself back on the floor, half-crying, half-screaming.

Goku stood, his hands clenched in fists at his sides, glowering at Catie. "Why are you and Gohan here in the house and not looking for her?"

"He hadn't s-s-slept in d-d-days," Catie answered, begging Goku to understand. "I-I-I had t-to b-b-b-bring him b-b-back! He was s-so s-s-s-sick! He w-was st-st-starting to ha-halu- hallucinate!"

Goku nodded, then turned to the Z-Fighters. "Let's go. We'll find her."

Suddenly, the front door burst open and Leelee burst through. "They found her!" she screamed.

Gohan jumped and fell off the couch. "Huh? What?"

"They found Lindsey! She's alive!"

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Sorry the chapter's a bit short, I'll update again soon!


	4. Bad News

Relief flooded over Gohan as Catie walked into the livingroom. "Where is she?"

"They've taken her to the hospital. C'mon," Jenny answered.

Forty-five minutes later, the group arrived at Boone hospital in Columbia, a much bigger town that where Lindsey and the girls were from. Once there, they sat in the waiting room and did exactly that – wait.

Gohan paced nervously again, stopping to look at the clock on the wall with every pass.

"Son, why don't you sit down?" Chichi asked. "We'll find something out soon."

"I can't, mom," Gohan answered her softly. He continued to pace.

Catie lay sideways on a couple of chairs, her head in Trunks' lap. He gently stroked her hair, letting the long, golden brown strands slip through his fingers like water. He smiled to himself, grateful to have the comfort of Catie in his arms. He couldn't imagine the strain it put on Gohan to be going through this. He looked up at his friend and watched him walk back and forth. Gohan looked terrible – he was still wearing the clothes he'd put on the day Lindsey went missing, which were now covered in dirt and sweat and were wrinkled beyond all belief. He had dark circles around his eyes and his hair was a mess. His face looked sunken and pale and his eyes were bloodshot from tears and lack of sleep.

Trunks closed his eyes against the tears that threatened to come when he thought of their places being switched. He couldn't fathom being in Gohan's shoes. He hoped he would never be separated from Catie.

Seventeen sat with his arm around Leelee, looking distant as she drifted in and out of sleep on his shoulder. She hadn't slept well, none of them had, and the relief that her friend was alive seemed to have overcome her to the point where her body finally gave in to exhaustion.

Sabriena was acting like nothing was wrong, even though she'd been part of the search and had worked very hard to find Lindsey. She walked to the cafeteria and returned shortly after with a bowl of ice cream and settled herself into a seat with a bored sigh. She ate her ice cream and slurped her Mt. Dew with little care and openly laughed at the TV show that was playing in the corner.

Gohan shot her a filthy look, but she didn't notice.

Shayne and Patrick, Lindsey's brothers, had been there as well, but had to leave to speak to the police at the station.

"So how was your trip?" Seventeen asked to break the silence

"We had a nice time," Bulma answered. "We saw the arch and went around the city. It was really neat to experience some American culture."

Trunks had completely forgotten the Z-Fighters' trip to St. Louis. It had been Shayne's suggestion – he even set up the hotel for them. He thought it would be nice for future family to become acquainted with their state and what better way than to let them see one of the nation's monuments? Plus it gave Lindsey and Gohan some Chichi-free time.

Three hours after they arrived, a doctor approached them. "Family of Lindsey. . ."

"That's me," Gohan said sharply before the doctor could finish. "What's going on? Can I see her?"

Everyone else had stood to hear what the doctor had to say.

"How are you related?" the doctor asked.

"She's my fiancée."

"May I speak to you privately?"

"No," Jenny answered. "We love her, too. We want to know what's going on."

The doctor shook his head. "I can't do that. Being as he's the closets to family that is present, I can discuss it with him, but no one else. Doctor, patient confidentiality. If she tells you after she wakes up, that's her decision."

Jenny glared daggers at the doctor, but Piccolo took her firmly by the shoulders and turned her back towards her seat.

Gohan and the doctor walked to the other side of the room. The doctor sighed and began, "She's beat up pretty bad, but I'm confident she'll recover," he said in a low voice.

"Where did they find her?"

"She was locked in a cellar."

Gohan's jaw dropped, but he said nothing.

"She's dehydrated," the doctor said, "they've got an IV going to get her some nutrition. We had to stitch her cheek, but I don't think it will scar too bad. She has some broken ribs and a fractured wrist. I've wrapped her ribs and put her arm in a cast. Now, if she gets to go home before the cast is removed, she'll have to keep that dry. The nurse will explain more about that if it looks like she'll get to go home."

"Who did this to her?" Gohan demanded.

"They don't know yet," the doctor said. "But whoever it was, was a sadistic sonuvabitch."

Gohan blinked to hear a doctor speak like that.

"Son, I'm going to be honest with you. They tortured this girl."

Gohan felt like he'd been hit with a sledge hammer. "Huh?"

"Kept her locked in that cellar, no food, no water, beating her . . . also, we ran a rape kit on her," the doctor said.

"Oh, god," Gohan said. "Please . . ."

"She was raped. Hopefully, the police will be able to make a DNA match."

Gohan clapped a hand over his mouth and ran out of the hospital.

Alarmed, Catie, Trunks and Jenny ran after him as the others stood and watched in shock.

Gohan hit the concrete wall of the decorative landscaping and doubled over it, vomiting.

"Stay here," Trunks said firmly to Catie and Jenny, holding his arm out for them to stop walking.

Catie almost protested, but stopped and took Jenny's hand in hers.

"Gohan?" Trunks asked nervously, walking slowly towards his friend.

Gohan wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and slowly turned to face Trunks. Trunks wasn't prepared to see the horror on Gohan's face.

"What happened, buddy?" he asked softly.

Catie and Jenny strained to hear, but Gohan didn't answer. He swayed on the spot and Trunks caught him as he fell. He came to a few seconds later and shook his head, looking around wildly.

"Gohan, you're exhausted," Trunks said.

"I'm fine," Gohan growled, brushing his friend off. He strode passed Catie and Jenny, never looking at them and they followed him back into the hospital.

The doctor stood waiting for him to return.

"I want to see her," Gohan said in a loud, determined way.

"Follow me," the doctor said and turned down the hallway.

Leelee and Piccolo stood to follow as Seventeen said, "I'll wait here."

At the door to Lindsey's room, the doctor said, "Now, remember, she's pretty rough. She's resting, but she can probably hear anything you say. The morphine is keeping her sedated for the time being." With that, the doctor left them.

Gohan took a deep breath and opened the door to the room.

Nothing could have prepared him for what waited inside. Lindsey lay on a bed, her arms at her sides, eyes closed. Her left eye was black with a green tinge around the edges and five stitches ran down her cheek bone. Her eye was swollen shut. An IV stand stood at the right side of the bed, clear liquid flowing through the tubing into her slender arm. Her left arm was wrapped in a cast and the fingers on that hand were purple and swollen. Her lips were dry, cracked, and had a large cut in the center. Handprints were bruised around her pale neck. Her right arm had large bruised on it, most of which also looked like handprints as though someone had gripped it too hard. A machine beeped softly in the room. Oxygen tubing ran beneath her nose and her chest slowly rose and fell beneath the thin, white sheet.

"Oh, god, Lindsey," Gohan sobbed and dropped to his knees beside the bed, taking her right hand in his. He softly kissed her fingers as tears began to stream down his face.

Jenny walked to the other side of the bed and stared sadly at her friend as Piccolo stood behind her, his hands on her shoulders. She cried silently.

"Her hair," Catie choked, trying to keep from screaming. "They cut her hair. Why would they cut her hair?"

Sure enough, Lindsey had only about two inches of red hair on her head. Some parts were a bit longer than others, and it was obvious it had been a rough job.

"I'm going to kill someone," Trunks said darkly behind Catie.

Gohan met his friend's eyes and said in a deathly tone, "Not if I get to them first."


	5. Marked

Author's Note: Whoo, I'm on a roll! I can't believe how much I've missed writing. Hope everyone is enjoying the story. And constructive criticism is always welcomed. I haven't written in years, so I imagine I'm a bit rusty.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Over the next week, the girls and the Z-Fighters took shifts with Lindsey's family staying at the hospital. Gohan, however, refused to leave and opted to sleep in the chair next to the bed. The room was overflowing with flowers as the story had spread quickly throughout the state. Piles of unopened cards lay on the small tables in the rooms. All that had been reported by the newspapers and TV stations was that a missing Moberly woman had been found and that she was injured and they were looking for the people who had abducted her. No specific details were released, but Moberly was a small enough town that it got out quick. Things like that always did in that town.

Lindsey had woken only briefly and screamed and thrashed around at some unseen force and the nurse rushed in, giving her a shot and sedating her once more.

Catie, Trunks and Gohan were sitting in the room, visiting one afternoon when Lindsey finally woke up. She slowly opened her eyes and looked around the room. "Gohan?" she asked softly.

"Lindsey," he breathed and rushed to her side. He took her hand in his and brushed the top of her head softly. "I'm here, baby. I'm here."

She smiled.

He smiled back at her as tears of joy ran down his face. "I love you."

"I love you," she answered. "Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," Catie answered. "Gohan's been here the whole time."

"How long?" Lindsey asked.

"About a week," Catie answered. "What happened?"

It was the first time Catie had asked what had truly happened to her friend. She knew nothing more than what the TV reports said, which was extremely vague, and she didn't dare ask Gohan.

"I went for a swim in the creek," Lindsey said, staring at the ceiling as if trying to remember. Her eyes widened in horror as memories flooded her and she began to cry.

"It's okay," Gohan said, hugging her gently. "Shh. Shh. It's okay."

"No, it's not," she cried. "You have no idea what they did to me."

There was no consoling her. Lindsey pushed Gohan away and closed her eyes, crying uncontrollably. Finally, a nurse came in and told them they needed to leave the room. Reluctantly, Gohan, Catie and Trunks went to stand in the hall.

"I'm sorry," Catie whispered.

"It's all right," Gohan told her. "You didn't do anything wrong."

Catie began to cry again. "I just want her back. I'm lost without her."

"Me too, Cat," Gohan agreed. "Me too."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

About a week later, the hospital released Lindsey to go home. She had given a statement to the police and they had arrested the Johnson boys. She walked close to Gohan on the way out of the hospital and sat silently in the backseat of Patrick's Jeep as he drove them home. All of their friends were waiting at the house for Lindsey to arrive. The girls had painted a big banner that said "WELCOME HOME, LINDSEY!" and hung it in the living room.

Everyone cried, "Surprise!" when she walked in the house and she forced a smile at them all.

"Thanks, guys," Lindsey said as Leelee hugged her. She hissed at the pain and Leelee said, "Sorry, I forgot."

"It's okay," Lindsey said and smiled at her friend. She didn't want to bring anyone down, being as they'd gone to so much trouble to make her welcome-home party a success.

She spent a couple hours visiting with everyone and they all carefully avoided the subject of what had happened to her those days locked in the cellar. Most of her bruising was gone and only some greenish marks were left on her. Even still, she wasn't the same.

She hunched her shoulders and tried to make herself small and unnoticeable. She made sure to avoid touching anyone if at all possible and barely made eye contact. It was a complete turn around from the brassy, loud, humorous redhead they'd known before.

"Do not worry about your hair," Yorgi told her, standing close but not touching her. "I will find someone to fix it for you."

She finally gave a real smile for the first time in two weeks. "Thanks, Yorgi."

He nodded and turned to speak to his brother.

Patrick snuck up behind Lindsey and said softly, "Why don't you sneak upstairs and I'll clear them out for you?"

"Okay," Lindsey agreed and quietly made her way to the back of the room.

Patrick made a loud scene, clicking on the radio and grabbing Sabriena in the middle of the room and dancing with her. Lindsey took her opportunity and crept up the stairs away from the party. Gohan, who hadn't taken his eyes off of her since they left the hospital, followed her up to her room.

"Too much for you?" he asked.

"Ya think?"

He smiled as the little bit of her sarcasm showed. It was like a fleeting moment of the previous girl he'd known.

"I'm sorry," Lindsey said, sitting down on her bed and wincing at the pain in her side. "I just don't feel like being around a bunch of people. I really do appreciate the effort, though."

"It's okay," Gohan said, sitting down beside her.

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "I'm so fucked up, Gohan."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't fucking think straight, dude," Lindsey answered and sat up straight. "You don't know what it was like. I thought they were going to kill me. And not just a quick bullet-in-the-brain kind of kill, ya know? Like, torture me to death." She took a quivering breath and whispered, "I almost wish they would have killed me."

"Don't say that," Gohan scolded. "I love you. I want you here with me."

Lindsey looked up at him and managed a small smile. "I think I'd like a shower. Can you help me?"

"Sure," Gohan said.

They went into the bathroom that was connected to her bedroom and he helped her undress. It was the first time he'd seen her naked since the night she'd disappeared. More bruises were fading from her torso, he realized, as he unwrapped the bandages from her body. Some of the bruises on her chest appeared to be bite marks.

"Oh, baby," he moaned sadly.

"I'm all right," Lindsey said bravely, fighting tears. "I'm okay. Really."

He helped her put the plastic bag over her cast and undressed himself. Lindsey choked back a gasp and fought away the flashback that blinked in her mind. But Gohan had noticed.

"Lins, it's me. You're safe with me."

She nodded and stepped into the large shower stall. The hot water felt good. Gohan stepped in behind her and closed the glass door. He watched her stand in the water for a minute, then grabbed her loofah and body wash. He helped her watch, taking mental notes of every mark on her body. If ever he had the opportunity to get back at the guys who had done this to her, he was going to get revenge for every single bruise.

He shampooed her hair for her and helped her rinse off. He then turned her around to face him and gently held her to him. They stood that way in the shower for a long time, the feel of each other's bodies comforting to them. Lindsey rested her bruised cheek against the hard muscles of Gohan's chest as he sat his chin on the top of her head, rubbing her bare back with his hand. It was weird to not feel her hair on him and he hated the fact that her hair was gone.

Finally, they got out of the shower, dried off and then went back into her bedroom. Lindsey pulled the plastic off her cast and tossed it carelessly into the wastebasket. Without saying a word or dressing, they crawled into bed and fell asleep together, she laying carefully on her side with Gohan pressed against her back, a protective arm around her.


	6. The Make-Over

"Ready to go?" Leelee asked, grinning.

"Yeah," Lindsey answered, standing up and grabbing her purse off the floor.

"You keep a close eye on her," Gohan said in a low voice to Catie. They both cast concerned glances at Lindsey as she slipped on her flip-flops.

The girls walked out into the warm July-morning sunlight. They all piled into the black Hummer Yorgi had purchased for Catie and headed to Columbia. They were going to have Lindsey's cast removed and then to get her hair fixed. Lindsey appeared to be improving and was more and more like herself, despite the fact that she refused to touch anyone except Gohan.

When they finally arrived at the salon, after removing the cast (Lindsey had scratched her arm until it was red, proclaiming that casts were the most miserable things in the world), Lindsey flopped into the seat as the stylist stood looking at her hair.

"So what do you want exactly?" the young hair stylist asked. She was a tiny thing, with spiky pink hair and a nose ring.

"I want my hair back," Lindsey said miserably, staring at her reflection. Little did the girls know, but Lindsey had been avoiding mirrors ever since she left the hospital.

"I don't know that it's long enough to do extensions," the girl said, pulling up pieces of the short red hair between her index and middle fingers. "And we only do weft extensions here. Do you know what that is?"

Lindsey shook her head.

"What we do is we braid your hair really tight to your head, like cornrows and then we have this long strip that the hair is attached to and we sew that to the braid. But I'm afraid that would tear up what little bit of hair you have."

Lindsey sighed. "So what do I do? Shave it and buy a wig?"

"That's an option," the stylist said. "Or you can just go with it." When she saw the look on Lindsey's face, she said, "Or, I think I could do dreadlocks."

"Dreadlocks?" Lindsey asked, scrunching up her nose. "I don't think so."

"Now, don't knock it. I've got an awesome idea for dreads – not big, fat ones, but like, skinny, sleek, sexy ones. I have some hair to work with so we could give you real long ones, if you want. But I don't have any that match your hair. I have fire-engine red, but not natural red."

"What do you girls think?"

"Sounds kind'a neat," Catie admitted.

"Lindsey, you should do, like, black but put in a few with the bright red," Sabriena said. "That would be kick-ass."

"That would be cool," Leelee agreed.

"Can we do that?" Lindsey asked.

"Sure," the stylist nodded. "Let me go get the stuff and we'll get started."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"How's she doing?" Krillin asked Gohan.

Gohan sighed. "Okay, I guess. She's just not the same anymore."

"Well, honey, she was tortured in that basement. You saw the shape she was in when they found her," Chichi said. "Just be patient. She'll come around. Just give her support and be there for her."

"I am," Gohan said. "But I still want to get a hold of those guys."

"That's out of your hands now, Gohan," Piccolo told him in a warning sort of way.

Bulma nodded in agreement. "You have to trust the police now."

Gohan snorted. "Since when do we leave matters to the police? We've never stood aside before!"

"These are regular humans, Gohan," Goku reminded his son. "This isn't Cell or some other super-being trying to take over the world."

Gohan crossed his arms over his chest and sat back in the couch, looking murderous.

"I just don't understand," Tien said. "Why would someone do something like that? She's a sweet kid, I don't get it."

"Me either," Yamcha added. "Everyone I've ever met likes Lindsey."

"She obviously hasn't had proper training," Vegeta said, looking sternly at Goku.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Goku asked.

"You notice none of my brats are in a bad way right now," Vegeta said. "I made sure they know how to defend themselves."

"Hey, Lindsey has powers as well, you know," Goku replied. "She could have used them."

"Then why didn't she?"

Goku paused and thought a minute. "Good question." He looked at Gohan and waited for an answer.

Gohan shook his head. "I don't know. We don't talk about it."

"Well, how is she supposed to get over it if she doesn't talk about it?" Bulma asked.

"I don't want to bring it up," Gohan said. "If she wants to talk about it, she'll bring it up. It's not my place. Personally, I'd rather just move on with our lives and act like none of this ever happened."

"That's not going to fix anything," Eighteen said, sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, putting her daughter's hair in pigtails.

"I'm with Gohan," Trunks said. "If it were Catie in that situation, I wouldn't talk about it either."

Krillin shook his head. "It's a bad situation no matter how you look at it. I'm not sorry it's not me. I wouldn't know what to do."

They all sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

"So are you going ahead with the wedding?" Chichi asked.

"Of course we are," Gohan said defensively.

"I didn't mean it like that," Chichi explained. "I meant have you all talked any more about a date or anything?"

"We don't talk about much of anything," Gohan admitted. "We just kind'a . . . sit. Talk about small stuff, but nothing like that."

"I think they're back," Goku said, turning and looking out the curtain as the large, black SUV pulled in the drive.

"Oh, I hope they were able to fix her hair," Chichi said.

"Oh . . . my . . . god . . ." Seventeen said as he looked out the curtain.

"What?" Gohan demanded

"Someone has green hair," he said in disbelief.

"No," Trunks breathed. "They didn't."

"Oh," Seventeen said, turning back to the room. "They did."

The group of girls stumbled into the house, giggling like mad and clutching shopping bags in their hands.

Gohan about fell over when he saw the flash of green, but began snickering when he realized it was Catie.

She marched up to Trunks in a runway-model type of prance and asked, "Do you like it?"

"I – uh, well . . ." Trunks stammered.

"GOTCHA!" Catie screamed and yanked the green wig off her head.

Trunks heaved a sigh of relief as Catie's true, long, golden-brown hair fell down to its rightful place.

"Where's Linds . . ." Gohan's voice trailed off as he spun around and came face-to-face with his fiancée.

Lindsey stood there, her shoulders hunched forward (as was now the norm for her), her face framed in pencil thin, fire-engine red, dreadlocks. The rest of her hair had been dyed midnight black and was slicked back tight on her skull into what could only be called an extremely fat ponytail. From this ponytail fell more pencil-thin dreadlocks that where long enough to fall to her bra line. Here and there was another red dreadlock in the mix. It gave her a very out-of-character punk rock look.

"Um, wow," Gohan said.

"You hate it," Lindsey muttered to the floor.

"No, no, don't be silly! I like it! It's just, you know, different!" Gohan grinned.

Lindsey shrugged. "Whatever."

"What's wrong?" Gohan asked.

"Nothin'," Lindsey answered. "I'm okay. I'm just tired. I sat in that chair for six hours while they did this. At one point they had three stylists working on me."

"At least you got your cast off," Gohan said, taking her wrist in his hand and kissing it.

She smiled at him.

"So what'd you buy?" Trunks asked Catie, "Besides that stupid wig to scare me with."

Catie wiped the tears away and tried to calm down her laughing. "I bought a new camera."

"Oh, cool," he grinned. "We'll have to get it out later."

"Well, I don't know about anybody else," Eighteen said, rising to her feet and striding towards Lindsey, "but I love your hair."

"Really?" Lindsey asked with a hopeful look.

Eighteen nodded. "Very trendy. You'll start something with that look."

Lindsey blushed and gratefully said, "Thank you."


	7. Vegeta's Brats

"Brats! Come here!" Vegeta's voice said as he headed out the door. Trunks and the younger version of himself moved to follow their dad out the front door. "Not you," Vegeta growled. "My other brats," he said, indicating Jenny and Catie.

Catie and Jenny exchanged bewildered looks and followed Vegeta outside.

"What did we do now?" Catie whispered to Jenny.

Jenny shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't called him Veggie-head in months," she answered in a whisper.

"Do you think he realized we broke the gravity machine before we left Japan?"

"He couldn't have. We'd have heard about it by now."

"Maybe he's screwing with us. Ya know, making us sweat it out?" Catie whispered as they followed Vegeta across the lawn.

"That's not like him," Jenny answered, "he likes to go in for the kill. He doesn't play with his food."

Catie bit her lip, walking slowly and casting a nervous glance at Vegeta's back as he continued to walk. "Maybe he's mad about the laundry."

"The laundry?"

"I threw my red bra in with his whites," she whispered.

"Why the hell did you do that?" Jenny hissed.

"He ate the last honey bun," Catie muttered.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Jenny said quietly, through clenched teeth. "So he has pink underwear?"

Catie nodded, her head down like a kid who'd been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard," Jenny chastised.

"Or, it could be . . ."

"Oh, god, there's more?!"

"Those pictures."

"What pictures?!"

"The ones I photoshopped."

Jenny looked petrified. "You what?"

"Well, see, I kind'a took his head . . ."

"You didn't . . ."

"And put it on a donkey . . ."

"Catie! You can't do that!"

"Yeah, I can," Catie said earnestly. "I'm getting really good with photoshop. The blending is really good. You can't even tell . . ."

"That's not what I meant!" Jenny cried wildly, her voice still in a whisper.

Vegeta had stopped walking and the girls nearly walked smack into him. The girls stood nervously, neither meeting Vegeta's black eyes.

"I've decided to take up training with you again," Vegeta said in a serious tone.

"Huh?" both girls asked in unison, looking up at him.

"After the attack on Kakkarot's girl, I've decided you both need more training," he said.

"O-Okay," Jenny stammered.

"Jenny can't do that," Catie argued.

"And why not?" Vegeta demanded.

"She's pregnant!" Catie pointed out. "And still in her first trimester. She could lose the baby!"

"That is the Namek's child, is it not?"

"Yes," Jenny answered, placing a protective hand over her stomach.

"It will survive. Training starts tomorrow morning. Meet me here at 6 a.m." Without another word, Vegeta strode passed them, back towards the house.

They stood rooted to the spot, watching him. When he was out of earshot, Jenny turned to Catie and cried, "You are so lucky!"

Catie cowered as Jenny began to slap every inch of Catie that she could reach. "Stop! Ow! Get off!"

"Don't – you – ever – do – something – like – that – again!"

Catie ran away, giggling like mad and sprinted for the house. "Just wait until he finds the tiara with the words 'Princess Veggie-head' glued to it in the bottom of his suitcase!"


	8. Nightmares

Lindsey awoke suddenly in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. Tears poured down her cheeks – she'd been crying in her sleep. She was shaking all over as flashes of the nightmare ran through her mind again. She didn't know what to do with herself. When she was awake, all she wanted to do was to sleep and escape from the world. When she was asleep, all she did was dream about that cellar.

Gohan gave a loud snore and rolled over in his sleep. Lindsey jumped and choked back a scream. She'd forgotten he was there. She quietly slipped out of bed and wandered down the hallway, scratching at her scalp as she went. Those damn dreadlocks were tight and terribly heavy.

The house was silent. Every tiny noise she made was amplified tenfold. The creak of the stairs, the click of a light switch – she was convinced that she was going to wake everyone at any moment. That was the last thing she wanted right now. All she wanted was to be alone.

The glow from the refrigerator was blinding. Shielding her eyes and blinking furiously, she scanned the contents. She wasn't hungry.

Finally, her eyes landed on the pint of whiskey Shayne had tucked in behind the milk and sodas. She hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the bottle and headed for the front porch.

She sat on the porch swing and stared miserably at the bottle in her hands. What was she doing? Everything had gotten so screwed up. She was supposed to be planning a wedding, not trying to escape from her life. Gohan didn't deserve this. He hadn't signed up to be with someone who was losing control of her life. She felt broken and dirty. A couple months ago, she was happy and silly with her biggest concerns being what shoes to wear or what party to attend. It all seemed foolish to her now. None of it mattered. It was like she'd suddenly awoken to find herself an adult with a haunting past. She felt old.

She unscrewed the top and took a big swallow of liquor. It burned her throat and warmed her chest from the inside out. God, she hated whiskey. It made her mean.

She rocked gently back and forth, pushing the swing with her toes. Her eyes roamed over the front yard. Everything looked different now. Dull and foreign. This was where she'd grown up. She'd played in that yard with her brothers, read books on this very porch. Yet she felt uncomfortable and out of place. Those happy memories seemed ages ago. So long ago, in fact, she almost wondered if they were real at all.

She sighed and drank deeply from the bottle again. Half-gagging, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Something sitting on the porch railing caught her eye. A small blue box had been left there by someone. It was a pack of cheap cigarettes. She flipped open the top and pulled out a black lighter and a smoke. She lit it and inhaled, the harsh, dry smoke filling her lungs. She leaned her head back on the swing and exhaled a long stream of white smoke.

"Those things will kill you, ya know," said a deep voice.

Lindsey half-screamed and choked on the smoke, nearly falling off the swing. She whipped her head around to see Piccolo standing there. "You scared me," she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

Piccolo walked around the swing and stood before her, staring at the burning cigarette and half-drunk bottle. "What are you doing?"

"Couldn't sleep," she shrugged and dragged on the cigarette. There was no use hiding it from him. He'd already seen her.

"I'm not so sure Gohan would like that."

"Yeah, well, we all have things in life we don't like." She knew she was being harsh, but the liquor was taking over and she didn't much care. She swigged on the bottle again.

"Gohan loves you. It would be a shame to see you throw that away," Piccolo said quietly. He knew what she was doing, he just didn't understand why.

"Not much left to throw out, is there?" she replied, drinking again. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone?

"I think you've had enough to drink," he said sternly and reached for the bottle.

Lindsey held the bottle over the back of the swing with her left arm, her right extended towards Piccolo to keep him from reaching it. He paused for a second, then leaned over her, pinning her between himself and the swing, wrenching the bottle from her hand.

"NO! NO! GET OFF!" she screamed, kicking her legs out and propelling herself backwards over the swing. She landed hard on the porch on her back, knocking the air from her lungs.

Piccolo stared at her, dumbfounded, as she scrambled backwards away from him until her back hit the porch railing. Gasping, she pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs and began to cry, rocking herself back and forth.

"Lindsey, I. . ." he started, "I didn't mean to. . . are you okay?"

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she shrieked frantically. She sobbed loudly and clapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from screaming, the hot tears flooding her eyes.

Startled and confused, Piccolo turned and went back into the house. He knew she'd been beaten by those men who'd abducted her, but this reaction was extreme. There was more to the story than he or any of the others knew. He wondered if Gohan knew.

He put the open bottle of whiskey back in the refrigerator, then quietly climbed the stairs to the room he and Jenny shared.

Drunk and frightened, Lindsey sat on the porch floor, sobbing loudly and taking shaky drags off the cigarette, trying to console herself. She choked and coughed, wiping away the tears and snot that streamed down her face.

She smoked two more cigarettes before she had calmed herself enough to go back in the house. The floor seemed very uneven and she leaned against walls and furniture to make her way to the kitchen. She wrenched open the refrigerator door, grabbed the bottle Piccolo had replaced, and polished it off. She put the empty container back behind the milk, slowly and deliberately closed the door, and headed for the stairs. She stumbled several times and finally resorted to crawling up the stairs and into her room. She hauled herself into bed and almost immediately fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Had they awoken fifteen minutes sooner, Catie and Jenny would have found Lindsey in her drunken stupor. They each dressed in their rooms and met at the top of the stairs.

"It's too early for this," Catie yawned as she trudged down the stairs.

Jenny nodded and rubbed her eyes.

"You want some breakfast?" Catie asked, pulling open the fridge and grabbing the milk.

"No," Jenny answered. Her stomach was churning as it was. "I'll get sick if I eat this early."

Catie nodded. "Why is there an empty whiskey bottle in here?"

Jenny shrugged. "Dunno."

Catie tossed it in the trash thoughtlessly and grabbed some cereal. She poured herself a bowl and sat at the table, munching away and wondering what the day would hold. God only knew what Vegeta had planned for them.

Jenny rested her head on her arms, nearly falling back to sleep on the table.

Catie had just finished her breakfast when Vegeta walked in the room. "Ready?"

The girls nodded and followed him outside.

"Hey, wait up!" came a voice.

Vegeta spun on his heel. "Kakarot? What are you doing here?"

Goku grinned. "I heard you guys were going to train. It sounds like fun!"

"Fun? You think this is fun?" Vegeta growled. "This isn't playtime, Kakarot. This is work."

"Relax, Vegeta. You need to lighten up," Goku answered, tightening his belt. "Just let me come with you guys."

"Fine," Vegeta huffed as he turned and walked away.

"Ready, girls?" Goku smiled at Jenny and Catie.

"You want to train. . . with us?" Jenny asked.

Goku blinked. "Well, sure! Why not?" He stepped closer to the girls and put one hand up by his mouth, lowering his voice, "Besides, Vegeta said something about finding a tiara in his suitcase. I wanna make sure he's not too hard on you guys."

Catie's eyes went wide in horror as Jenny started slapping her again. "I TOLD YOU!"

"Are you coming or not?" Vegeta shouted over his shoulder.

With a jump, Goku, Catie and Jenny hurried to catch up to Vegeta.


	9. Training

"Kakarot, you're being entirely too easy on her!" Vegeta bellowed.

Goku froze and turned towards Vegeta. "But, Vegeta. . . she's. . ."

"I don't care if she managed to get herself knocked up! And neither will an opponent. Now train her properly or get lost!"

Goku turned back to Jenny, who was leaning over with her hands on her knees, catching her breath. "C'mon," she gasped, standing up straight, raising her fists.

Goku smirked. "Whatever you say," he answered and flew at her.

"Hit me!" Vegeta commanded as Catie attacked again. Sweat rolled down the side of her face as she lunged at him. He easily side-stepped her and brought one arm down on her back, sending her sprawling across the hard ground. "I'm wasting my time."

Catie stood, wiping her forehead, streaking dirt across it as she did so. Her eyes burned a deep purple as she flew at him again. He blocked her every move. She stumbled and fell to her knees. "This is infuriating!" she cried.

Vegeta snorted. "No. What's infuriating is that I'm spending all my time working with you, and you're not progressing at all. What a joke."

Catie screamed with rage, pushing herself to her feet once more. Vines flew from her arms and wrapped themselves around Vegeta, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. Vegeta roared in shock as he fell while Goku and Jenny froze, watching the scene before them.

"I AM NOT A JOKE!" Catie screamed. The thick vines seemed to tighten their grip as her hair became a flowing river of green.

Vegeta tore at the vine around his throat, ripping it away only to have it immediately replaced by a fresh one.

"Catie…" Jenny started, her voice soft and nervous as she took a step towards her friend.

Catie's eyes flashed a violent purple as she gave Jenny a quick, fierce glance.

"Enough of this," Vegeta hissed as he raised his power level and blasted the vines from his body. He stood and squared his shoulders at Catie. She met his stare as a small smirk pulled at her lips and lowered her arms to her sides. Tension filled the space between them and no one dared to move.

After a long moment, Vegeta finally broke the silence. "Well it's about time."

Goku and Jenny heaved sighs of relief as Catie continued to smirk.

"Do it again," Vegeta commanded.

It was mid-afternoon before Vegeta finally agreed to call it a day and that was mostly due to Goku complaining of hunger. The girls trudged back to the house through the humid late spring Missouri day. They were sore and sweaty by the time they reached the house and the cool air conditioning hit their skin with incredible relief.

Jenny sighed deeply as she sunk into the squashy cushions of the couch and tipped her head to the side as her neck cracked with a satisfying _POP_.

Leelee snickered at her friends. "Have a good time?"

Catie exhaustedly raised her left arm and extended her middle finger in reply.

"That good, huh?" Leelee could hardly keep the amusement out of her voice.

"Nnnmphhhh," Jenny groaned as she flopped over on the couch and buried her face in a pillow.

Sabriena sauntered in, sipping her soda and coming to a stop near Catie. She poked Catie's shoulder and wrinkled her nose. "You're all sweaty."

Catie stared at Sabriena out of the corner of her eye. "No shit."

Sabriena wiped her finger on her jeans. "You gonna shower or do I need to drag you outside and hose you off?"

"That might feel good, actually," Catie replied, grabbing the soda from Sabriena and taking a big swallow. She handed it back. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"What do we do with her?" Sabriena asked, looking down at Jenny.

As if in response, Jenny snored loudly.

"Nevermind," Sabriena answered herself and went to sit next to Leelee on the floor. "Turn the movie back on."

Catie stomped slowly up the stairs, her thighs burning in protest. Her feet felt like they were made of lead. Outside Lindsey's bedroom, she could hear Gohan's voice.

"You've slept all day! Come on, you gotta get up."

Curiosity overcame her and Catie cracked the door to the bedroom. Gohan was standing next to the bed, tugging on Lindsey's arm as she buried her head under the pillows.

"Problem?" Catie asked.

Gohan dropped Lindsey's hand and sighed. "I can't get her out of bed."

"My head hurts," came the muffled protest from under the pillow.

"Oh, quit being such a bum," Catie said, rolling her eyes. "It's a pretty day. We should go do something fun."

"Don't wanna."

Catie narrowed her eyes. "I'm going to take a shower. You'd better be up by the time I'm done. Or else."

"Nnnnnn."

"I mean it."

Lindsey seemed to deflate under the blankets.

Satisfied that she'd won, Catie left to scrub away the dirt and sweat that seemed to cling to every inch of her body.

Gohan pulled the sheets from Lindsey and tossed the pillow aside. "You have to get up now. Catie has spoken."

Squinting through bloodshot eyes, Lindsey gave Gohan the filthiest look she could muster, which ended up being rather pathetic. Gohan returned the look with one of exasperation. "C'mon," he said, "I'll make you something to eat." He grabbed her hand once more and hauled her to her feet. Together they headed down the stairs. She tripped once and he grabbed her shoulder to steady her. "You okay?"

"Just off balance. I didn't sleep well," she answered. It was half-true.

"Nightmares again?"

Lindsey froze in mid-step. It was an innocent enough question, but she hadn't spoken to anyone about the recurring dreams. "How did you know?"

Gohan met her eyes with a concerned look. "I've heard you scream in your sleep. I've seen you crying. You can't hide everything from me."

Lindsey stared at her feet. "I didn't want to worry you."

"I always worry about you. I love you."

She bit her bottom lip as tears threatened to fill her eyes. As if the nightmares weren't bad enough that they bothered her, they were affecting Gohan as well. She was even angrier at herself for that.

Gohan reached out and tipped her chip up to face him. His dark eyes bored into her watery green ones. "I will always love you. You can tell me anything."

She shook her head and tried to plaster a smile on her face. "I know. Just stupid dreams. That's all."

Gohan looked at her in disbelief. Her attempt at a lie was pathetic. Yet he didn't want to press her for details. He didn't want to hear the things she was reliving in the middle of the night. He hated what happened and he longed for the day when she would be back to normal. This sad, jumpy creature before him was nothing like the girl he knew and loved. He wanted her back. And he knew that somewhere, deep down inside, she was still there. He just didn't know _how_ to get her back.

At a loss for what else to say, Gohan lied along with her. "Okay. Crazy the things your mind can make up, huh?"

She nodded and looked slightly relieved that he bought her story. "You still gonna make me some lunch?"

Piccolo had sat down on the couch and pulled Jenny up next to him. Her head rested on his chest as he curled a protective arm around her shoulders, one hand placed over her abdomen. Lindsey avoided his eyes and headed straight for the kitchen.

"Hey Piccolo," Gohan greeted his friend.

"Hey Gohan," Piccolo replied, his eyes following Lindsey. He didn't know whether to mention the incident from the night before or not. He decided against it for the moment and looked down at Jenny again. He gently brushed a few pieces of hair from her forehead, running the back of his fingers over the soft skin of her cheek. He smiled to himself, enjoying the moment of relative quiet. It was a rare thing these days.

He put his arm around her once more, gently touching her stomach. It amazed him that a child – _his child – _was growing there at that very moment. A sudden chill fell over him, like he'd swallowed a block of ice. He knew nothing of being a father. The idea was exciting and terrifying all at the same time. He wondered what the baby would look like – whether it would resemble him more or if he would look like her. He'd never held a baby before. Would he be a good father? A sea of questions seemed to flood his mind and he began to feel overwhelmed.

Jenny stirred in her sleep and muttered, "I love you."

A calm settled into place within him at the sound of those words. They'd figure out this parenting thing together.


	10. Confronting Gohan

Piccolo debated for most of the afternoon about whether or not he should mention the previous night's encounter with Lindsey. He was concerned about her. Drinking alone in the middle of the night wasn't a good sign and her reaction when he'd leaned over her confused him. Did he approach Gohan about it? Gohan was worried about her enough without adding this to the equation, but didn't he deserve to know what was going on? Had this been going on for awhile and none of them knew? Should he mention it to her brothers? He didn't know them very well and found them odd. Perhaps Jenny and the other girls would be able to shed some light on the situation. He knew they told each other everything (sometimes in painstaking detail) and thought it unlikely that they would not know what was going on.

Getting the girls alone, however, was a rare thing. The situation finally presented itself after dinner when the girls volunteered to clean up while everyone else headed outside to enjoy the rest of the day.

"Everything okay?" Jenny asked him as she gathered the mountain of plates from the table.

Piccolo crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, considering his words. "I'm worried about Lindsey."

Jenny paused and stared at him for a minute. "What do you mean?"

"Early this morning, I caught her on the porch drinking by herself and smoking," he answered.

Catie cocked an eyebrow. "That doesn't sound like her."

"She'll have a cigarette when her nerves are shot, sometimes," Jenny reminded her. She carried the plates over to the counter and set them near the sink. "But I've never known her to drink alone. Only at a party."

"Wait, was that the whiskey bottle I found in the fridge this morning?" Catie asked, the thought dawning on her.

Piccolo nodded.

"She drank whiskey?" Sabriena asked incredulously. "She hates whiskey. What the hell?"

The girls looked at one another, confusion on every face.

"You know, guys, she's been through a lot. I'd be drinking, too," Leelee stated.

"That doesn't make it right, though," Jenny countered.

"What," Piccolo hesitated for a minute, "What exactly did she go through?"

Jenny looked at him like he was stupid. "You know she was beat nearly to death by those assholes."

"I think there's something missing to the story," Piccolo said.

The girls waited for him to continue. After a moment, he sighed and told them how she reacted when he took the bottle from her.

Catie crossed her arms and leaned her back against the countertop, chewing on the inside corner of her mouth. She didn't understand it either. It seemed extreme for Lindsey to retreat from Piccolo like that. The two of them weren't close by any means, but he would never harm her and Lindsey should have known that.

"She doesn't touch anybody anymore, have you noticed that?" Sabriena said.

After a moment of thought, Leelee answered, "She doesn't, does she?"

"That's weird, too," Jenny thought aloud. "She's always been an affectionate person. Hell, she kissed my cheek when I gave her a piece of candy once."

"She hasn't told any of you what exactly happened to her?" Piccolo asked.

The girls looked at one another and then shook their heads.

"I bet Gohan knows," Catie said softly.

"He won't talk about it, you know that," Jenny said, a sad look in her eyes. "He doesn't want to even believe anything happened."

"Well that ain't gonna fix shit," Sabriena said loudly, cracking open a soda and taking a long swig.

Jenny eyed Sabriena. "Like you're one to talk about feelings."

Sabriena shrugged. "This is different and you know it."

Jenny sighed. "Yeah," she agreed.

"So what do we do?" Leelee finally asked.

"I say we talk to Gohan," Sabriena offered. "We're her friends. If there's something we need to know, then we deserve to know it."

"We can't just go prying and force all the gory details out of them," Leelee argued.

"Why the hell not?"

"What more could there be to the story?" Leelee asked. "Maybe she's just scared of everything now, simply because of what happened. I mean, wouldn't you be?"

Catie shrugged. "Maybe. But I'm going to find out." She slammed the dish towel she'd been holding on the counter and marched out the sliding glass door from the kitchen to the porch out back.

Startled, Piccolo and the other girls followed her as she tromped down the steps and across the yard, heading towards Gohan and Trunks, who had taken up a game of horseshoes.

"Hey babe," Trunks greeted his girlfriend. His smile faded when he saw the serious look on her face.

"What happened to her?" Catie demanded, facing Gohan with her hands on her hips.

Gohan blinked. "Huh?"

"In that cellar. What did they do to her?"

Gohan's eyes narrowed slightly. "Catie, I don't want to talk about that."

Trunks walked to Catie and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't put him on the spot like that," he said in a soft tone.

She brushed his hand away and he withdrew it, looking hurt. "We're her best friends. We deserve to know."

"You all know everything," Gohan said, holding up a horseshoe carefully and then lobbed it across the yard.

"All we know is that they beat her up," Sabriena said, joining Catie at her side. "And it's bullshit if you're not telling us everything." The two girls had never hung out much one-on-one, but Catie suddenly felt a rush of appreciation for Sabriena. Crass as she may be, the girl was straightforward and loyal to her friends, and that was worth something in Catie's book.

Gohan tossed another horseshoe, avoiding the gaze of the women before him.

"Earth to Gohan!" Sabriena snapped her fingers at him. "Why is she so damn scared of everyone now?"

Gohan rounded on her. "Wouldn't you be if you had been beaten by a couple of guys who wanted to kill you?"

"That's the part I don't understand," Catie said. "She's way more powerful than a couple of punk kids. How'd they get to her in the first place? Why didn't she use her powers on them?"

"And furthermore, why the crap is she drinking pints of whiskey in the middle of the night?" Sabriena asked.

Gohan's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at Sabriena. "What?"

"You heard me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Piccolo does."

Gohan turned questioningly to his friend. "Piccolo?"

Piccolo sighed and recounted the story to Gohan, who looked angry and confused as he listened. When Piccolo finished, they waited nervously for Gohan to react. He seemed to consider the information for a long time before he finally said, in a dangerous voice, "You all need to leave her alone."

"What?" Piccolo asked, confusion all over his face.

"If she wants to have a drink every now and then to calm her nerves, then let her. It's none of your business. Just leave her alone!" Gohan was angrier than any of them had ever seen him.

"So you're okay if she becomes an alcoholic?" Catie asked, anger rising in her own voice.

"That's not going to happen," Gohan answered. "I won't let it happen."

"Just like you didn't let them hurt her, right?" Catie spat before she even realized the words that were coming out of her mouth. She regretted them instantly.

"WHAT?" Gohan shouted. "YOU THINK THAT I-"

Trunks threw himself between Gohan and Catie. "Whoa! Everybody chill out!"

Gohan started towards Catie, his hair rising and his eyes flashing to blue. She stumbled back away from him, frightened at the reaction she'd provoked. "IF I'D BEEN ABLE TO PREVENT THIS, I WOULD HAVE!" Gohan thundered. "How dare you? How DARE you?!"

Trunks' hair flashed golden as he shielded Catie from his friend. "Gohan, stop! She didn't mean it."

Hot tears burned Catie's eyes and she blinked them away. "I shouldn't have. . ."

"No you shouldn't," Gohan interrupted. "I will kill the bastards that did this to her if I ever get my hands on them! And you want to suggest that I let it happen?!"

Trunks put his hands on Gohan's shoulders. "No one thinks that, Gohan. Now calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down," Gohan warned Trunks in a dangerous voice as the two super Saiyans stared each other down. "You think I don't feel guilty enough as it is without your stupid girlfriend making comments like that?"

Trunks narrowed his eyes. "Don't call her stupid."

"Please stop," Catie said softly. She felt like shit.

"This doesn't concern any of you," Gohan said, stepping backwards away from Trunks, swatting his hands away. "You stay out of it and leave her alone. This is between me and her. Not you."

"It does concern us, though, Gohan," Leelee said in a kind voice. "We're her friends and we care about her, too."

"Leelee, don't start with me," Gohan warned. "I forbid any of you to speak to her about this."

"That's ridiculous," Sabriena argued.

"I forbid it!" And with that, Gohan marched passed his friends, returning to the house.

After a long, awkward moment, Sabriena said, "Well that didn't go very well."

Jenny stared at Sabriena like she was the dumbest thing on earth. "Ya think?"

They waited a good, long while for Gohan to calm down before they reentered the house. Catie was the last one in the door, directly behind Trunks. Once inside, a sharp smack cracked the back of her head. Eyes streaming in pain, she grasped her head and turned to see Vegeta standing there.

"Don't you ever let me see you back down like that again," he said in a low voice, then walked away.

She narrowed her eyes at his back. "I am so printing those donkey pictures and handing them out like fliers," she whispered to herself.


	11. The Answer

Gohan stormed through the house, energy radiating from him. He hadn't felt angry like this since the day he was called to the hospital. It was none of their business what had happened – at least, not the part that he was trying to keep from them. What possible benefit could there be in them knowing that? It was bad enough that he knew. His stomach twisted at the thought. He wanted so desperately to move passed what had happened and get back to everything being normal.

It drove him mad that they had changed her the way they did. The way she cried in her sleep at night made his heart ache, even as he tried to hold her and comfort her. Even little things that most people wouldn't notice were enough to make him want to cry. Like the way she would side-step to avoid touching another person or the knee-jerk recoil she did when Gohan tried to hug or kiss her. The hunched shoulders, her eyes distrusting and hollow, the constant chewing at her lip – it all added up to this frightened, broken person that he didn't know how to fix.

He didn't stop walking until he'd reached the front porch railing, gripping it tightly and causing the smooth, aged wood to crack.

A hand came down on his shoulder and he wheeled around, fist raised, and found himself face to face with Goku.

"Oh, dad, it's you," Gohan said quietly, lowering his arm.

"What's wrong, Gohan?" Goku asked, concerned.

Gohan shook his head and turned to gaze over the yard again, his blood pounding in his ears. "No one understands."

"What do you mean?"

"No one understands what this is like," Gohan said through gritted teeth. "To know you could have kept the person you love from harm. To feel like you're losing her more and more each day. And the need for everyone to just back off and just give us some space so we can. . . move on."

"You're right," Goku agreed, "we don't understand what either of you are going through. But it might help for you to talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about it, dad! That's the point! I want this to just all fade away and for things to go back to the way they were!"

"That's not how it works, Gohan," Goku said. "Ignoring your problems doesn't fix them. It can even make it worse. Think of it like this: if we'd ignored every threat to the earth, would it have made it any better? Would our problems have just vanished? No. You have to meet this head on and find a way to deal with it."

Gohan rolled his father's words around in his head before heaving a deep sigh. He knew his dad was right. He slowly relaxed his muscles as his hair fell back into place, returning to its jet black color. He turned to face Goku once more.

"What do I do?" he asked in a defeated sort of way.

"Just listen to her. Let her get it all out. This isn't going to fix itself overnight."

Gohan nodded, dreading the conversation he realized was unavoidable. There was one thing he still didn't understand. "Why did this have to happen?" he wondered aloud.

"It's a test, Gohan. If you can get through this, your marriage will get through anything."

It took awhile for Gohan to find Lindsey. He hadn't seen her since dinner. He finally found her in the barn, sitting near the window in the hay loft.

"Hey you," he said as he carefully walked across the loose, slippery hay.

She gave him a small smile and returned her stare out of the window. He sat across from her and took her hand. He swallowed the lump in his throat as her arm involuntarily jerked back. Her hand never left his, but he still felt her pull.

"Why do you do that?" he asked quietly as he stared at her hand in his, the diamond ring she wore catching the light from the setting sun.

She stared at her hand as if it had betrayed her. "I don't mean to."

"I miss you," he said, meeting her eyes. God, this was painful already.

"I miss me too," she answered softly.

He wasn't expecting that answer. A pain swelled in his chest. Missing yourself? What must it be like to know you're not the same and to miss the way you once were? At least she acknowledged that she wasn't the same anymore.

"I know I'm a mess," she went on. "I don't know how to go back to the way I was. I hate my life now. I can't sleep, I don't want to eat. As if you didn't know all that already."

He sat quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"I'm all broken and damaged now," she said sadly. "You deserve better than this, Gohan. You're a good person. You don't need to be with someone like me."

"Wait just a minute!" he protested. "What are you saying?"

"It's selfish of me to try to hold onto you," she answered. "Things will never be the way they were. I'll never be me again."

He felt like his heart had stopped. "Don't do this," he pleaded softly. "Don't give up on us. I need you."

She snorted. "Like a hole in the head."

He leaned towards her, grabbing the back of her neck and pulling her towards him. She jerked back, but his firm grip held her in place. "Don't pull away from me!"

She stared at him, her face full of doubt and an unexplained fear. He closed the gap between them, kissing her. She kissed him back, tight-lipped and stiff as a board. He released her and she slunk back against a bale of hay.

"You don't even want to kiss me anymore," he muttered.

"Yes, I do," she answered. "I just feel so dirty. Like you shouldn't want to touch me at all."

"When are you gonna get it through your thick skull that I love you?" he asked, only half joking.

She shook her head. "I get it. I just don't understand why."

"Can't we just. . . go back to being us again?" he asked. "Just pretend like this never happened? We never have to talk about it again. I just want things the way they were."

She sat deep in thought for a couple minutes. Couldn't she at least do that for him? Just fake it until perhaps even she believed it herself? She was killing him and she knew it. If she could convince him that she was okay again, maybe things would eventually fall back into place. "We can try," she finally answered.

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. "Now come here," he said and reached for her, pulling her into his lap.

She leaned back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. She felt tense and nervous. He kissed the back of her neck, sending an unpleasant chill down her spine.

His hot mouth closed on her neck as he slid his hands up her stomach to her chest. If he could just hold her again, make love to her the way he used to, she'd see that everything would be okay again. He pulled the neck of her tank top down and her bra with it, exposing her breasts to the warm air of the loft. He ran his hands over her soft skin, gently pinching and teasing her nipples. They firmed at his touch and he smiled as he continued to suck at her neck. Her chest filled his hands, the heavy curves smooth and enticing.

She suddenly cringed away from him. "Stop, stop, stop. I can't. I just can't!"

Gohan froze and sighed. "I'm sorry. It's too soon. I shouldn't have."

Fixing her clothes, she placed her forehead on her knees, still sitting in his lap. What was wrong with her? This was Gohan, for crying out loud! The one person in the world who would never hurt her. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she turned to face him.

"Can we just take it slow?" she asked. "I'll try. I promise. Just, one thing at a time, okay?"

He nodded. "How about this for now?" he asked as he pulled her to him yet again and held her firmly against his chest. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself into the warm comfort of his arms. She fought back the tears that threatened to fall again as she allowed herself to relax into his embrace. This small gesture felt like a huge vulnerability to her. The logical side of her brain knew that she was safe. The emotional side of her screamed in agony. If only there was a way to make that insecure, emotion-driven part of her shut up.

Her eyes flew open as the answer flashed through her mind.

Kolya.


	12. Can Fish Drown?

She had never in her life been nervous about approaching Kolya. The big, playful Russian was nearly always in a good mood and everyone liked him. Tall, blonde, heavily muscled with a square jaw, high cheekbones, and sparkling blue eyes, he could easily have played the roll of a prick and still had women falling all over him. Despite his popularity, he was still friendly and kind, making him even more desirable. There was a reason people went to him with their problems and there was a reason he was always laughing.

If given a choice between sobriety and intoxication, he would always choose the latter. But that was yet another amazing trait of Kolya – it was a choice. There were times in the past when he had to be sober and of clear mind for weeks at a time and during those times, he wouldn't touch a drop of liquor or enter a room if it was full of smoke. Luckily for Lindsey, this was not one of those times.

It was a chilly evening as Lindsey entered the warehouse, her heavy boots clomping across the hard floor. It was unusually quiet and every noise echoed as she made her way across the great room. For a place known for rowdy parties and an even rowdier bunch of people, the house was surprisingly immaculate. Full bottles of booze sat gleaming behind the bar in various colors and glasses hung by their stems, polished and ready for the next event. The shiny dance floor was buffed so well, she could see her reflection in it. But anyone who knew Yorgi knew he did not tolerate clutter and filth.

She made her way through the maze of hallways and stair cases until she arrived at Kolya's room. She could hear a TV playing from inside. She knocked and waited until he answered, "Da."

Creaking open the heavy door, she found him lounging on his bed in nothing but a pair of black leather pants, staring at the large flat screen that hung from his wall. Like her own, his large room was dark with painted black walls and no window. Ornate black furniture filled the room and in the dark, she felt as though she'd stumbled into the dangerous, sexy environment of a vampire. But Kolya would never make a good vampire. He was too loud.

He sat up and turned down the volume on his TV. "Hey."

"Hey," she said uncertainly, hovering in the doorway.

"Come in," he said, looking confused as to why she hadn't already. That was the loveable thing about him – there was an innocence that resonated from him, despite the things he was capable of. And yes, he was capable of so many things.

Biting her lower lip, Lindsey closed the door behind her. "Kolya, I need to talk to you about something."

He cocked an eyebrow at her and said nothing.

"I. . . I need something from you."

An unreadable look came over his face as he stood and advanced towards her. "I knew this day would come," he said in his gravelly accent. "It okay. You could not resist me for ever."

"What? Kolya, I. . . No!" she yelled in surprise.

He stopped mid-step and threw his head back, laughing. "You are too easy."

A smile pulled at her lips and for the first time in a long time she laughed.

He licked his lips and ran a hand over his face, trying to calm himself. He drew a long breath through his nose and asked, "What do you need?"

"To escape," she replied simply.

He studied her for a minute, then went to his dresser and opened a drawer. "Booze is not doing it for you." It wasn't a question.

Lindsey closed her eyes for a moment, appreciating Kolya's understanding. "Hang overs," she said. She didn't need to explain, but felt compelled to do so anyway.

He was silent as he packed the green herb into the small metal bowl. She watched as he worked, grabbing a bottle of frosty water from the mini refrigerator next to his bed, pouring a careful measure of it, holding his thumb over the small hole with one hand and running his Zippo on the leg of his pants, then holding the flame above the bowl. He took several long drags, filling the chamber with smoke, then pulled his thumb back and quickly inhaled. He swallowed a couple times, then opened his jaw to allow the thickest white smoke she'd ever seen drift upwards from his throat like the smoke of a chimney.

He extended the bong to her. With a shaky hand, she accepted it and sat on his bed. Mimicking his actions, she inhaled the sickly sweet smoke and immediately began to choke.

"Now you be really fucked up," he smirked.

She felt like her lungs were going to explode. This was nothing like cigarette smoke. Her eyes streamed and she hacked deep, painful coughs, her lungs protesting against the thick smoke. She gasped for air, her throat raw. Still coughing, she handed it back to him.

For the better part of thirty minutes, they passed the smoke back and forth between them, and she slowly was able to regain control of her coughing. As the embers in the bowl finally died out, Kolya replaced the bong on his dresser and laid back on his bed. There was a heavy cloud of smoke lingering in the room.

Eyes half open, a hazy, happy feeling engulfed Lindsey as she stared at the TV on the wall. This was amazing. She hadn't felt this calm in months. Her head felt heavy and clouded. Kolya turned the volume back up on the television and they both laughed aloud at the ventriloquist on stage.

"Jalapeno on a stick!" Kolya mimicked. They both burst into a fit of giggles and laughed until their sides hurt. Tears streamed down Kolya's face and Lindsey laughed to the point where no sound was coming out.

"Oh my god, Kolya, I'm so fucked up," Lindsey groaned, her hands on either side of her face.

"Good," he answered.

Lindsey's stomach growled. "I'm starving."

Kolya grabbed some candy and chips from the top of the mini-fridge and tossed them on the bed. They munched happily on snacks, still laughing as the credits rolled and Kolya changed the channel.

"Spongebob? Really?" Lindsey snickered, shoving a handful of chips into her mouth.

"Don't judge me."

About ten minutes into the show, Lindsey realized that Spongebob was hilarious. She'd always despised the bouncing, noisy yellow square before.

Laughing softly, she laid back on the bed, her feet dangling over the footboard, and stared at the glowing fish tank against one wall of Kolya's room. He turned and lay with his head next to hers, his bare feet propped up against the intricately carved black headboard.

"Kolya?"

"Hmm?"

"Can fish drown?"

He laughed a deep, bellowing laugh and drew his knees to his chest.

"Seriously! Can fish drown?"

"How in fuck could fish drown?"

"You know, like, if you held their gills closed. Would they drown?"

"No, would suffocate."

"No, they suffocate if you take them out of the water."

"Suffocate if hold gills closed, too."

"Noooo," she said, giggling again. "They'd drown."

"Suffocate."

"Okay, fine. Then what if there was no oxygen in the water? Would they drown then?"

Horror spread across his face. "Fish CAN drown."


	13. First Photos

Catie had been avoiding Gohan for days. Their confrontation in the yard had driven an awkward wedge between them. She was still angry with him for not telling her everything he knew and he resented her for the things she had accused him of. When either of them found themselves in a room together, they avoided eye contact and would change their direction so that they were no where near one another.

"Are you two ever going to make up?" Trunks asked Catie one afternoon as they lounged by a pond.

"Not until he tells me what happened," Catie replied.

Trunks sighed. Being torn between his best friend and his girlfriend was driving him nuts. "He's trying to protect her, that's all."

Catie shook her head and stared at the cork attached to the end of her fishing line. It remained hopelessly still in the greenish water.

"Mind if we join you?" asked Seventeen's silky voice.

Catie and Trunks turned to see Seventeen and Leelee standing behind them with fishing poles in hand.

"Not at all," Trunks answered.

Leelee plopped on the ground next to Catie. "Have you seen Jenny?"

"She's at a doctor's appointment," Catie answered.

"Oh, that's today. I forgot," Leelee answered.

"How far along is she now?" Trunks asked, eager to steer all conversation away from Gohan.

"About four months," Catie answered. "She's really starting to show."

"She is?" Seventeen asked. "I haven't noticed."

"She's been wearing looser clothes, but when we train, I can see it," Catie answered.

"She took Piccolo with her," Trunks said. "I wonder how he's reacting."

They all sat in amusement, wondering what it would be like to be a fly on the wall in that ultrasound room.

Piccolo sat uncomfortably in the corner of the dark little room as Jenny laid back on the large chair-like table. Her shirt was pulled up to just under her bra-line, exposing her rounded belly.

She drummed lightly on her stomach with her fingertips. "I'm getting so fat."

Piccolo shook his head. "You're beautiful."

She smiled gratefully at him.

It wasn't an empty comment. As the weeks passed by, he found her more and more attractive. He couldn't explain it. There was just something about watching her grow, knowing his baby was inside her. It amazed him.

The technician entered the room and greeted them both kindly. She sat at her computer and grabbed a bottle. "This should be warmed up," she said as she squeezed some onto Jenny's abdomen. Jenny stared at the black screen hanging from the wall, anxious to see what the monitor would reveal.

Piccolo watched the technician carefully as she slid the handheld device across Jenny's stomach. She paused and smiled, "There's baby."

"Piccolo, look," Jenny whispered.

Piccolo's breath caught in his chest as he stared at the black and white image on the wall. The tiny profile of a baby's face shone back at him. He swallowed and reached for Jenny's hand. He'd never experienced something like this before. How do you instantly fall in love with someone you have never even met? He couldn't make sense of it. But that's what was happening as he gazed at the image.

A sudden woosh woosh woosh woosh sound filled the room.

"Baby's heartbeat is normal," the tech said in her calm, sweet voice and she typed on her computer one-handed.

"That's the baby's heartbeat?" Jenny asked. The tech nodded.

The technician used her computer to snap screenshots and take measurements, explaining each step as she went. When she declared baby appeared to be developing normally, Jenny heaved a sigh of relief.

The technician handed Jenny a long roll of pictures. "There ya go."

"I can keep these?" Jenny smiled.

"They're all yours," she answered as she handed Jenny a towel. "You can wipe your stomach off with that. Just toss it in the basket when you're through. Congratulations to you both." And with that, she left the room.

Jenny handed Piccolo the pictures as she wiped the sticky gel away.

He looked at the pictures in his hands, trying to comprehend what he had just witnessed. The reality of it all was starting to sink in.

"It's going to be okay," Jenny said softly, taking Piccolo's hand.

He realized he must have had a frightened look on his face. He nodded and leaned down to kiss her. This was the best and most terrifying thing he'd ever faced in his life.

Still holding Piccolo's hand, Jenny led him down the hallway to the waiting room of her doctor. She leaned against him as they sat down on the fancily upholstered chairs and he placed an arm around her shoulders as they admired the first photos of their baby.


	14. Everything's Alright with Enough Vodka

"We really need to start planning the wedding," Chichi said one afternoon.

Lindsey blinked at her across the table. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Well I have a list," Chichi went on cheerily. "You should start with this." She handed it to Lindsey.

Lindsey's eyes widened at the incredibly long list Chichi had hand-written for her. Gohan leaned over her shoulder to get a better look. "That's a long list," he said.

Chichi smiled, obviously pleased with herself. "I just want everything to be perfect!"

"Uh, thanks, Chichi," Lindsey said and sat the list next to her plate. "I think I'm full."

"You didn't eat much," Goku observed.

Lindsey shrugged. "Gotta fit in that wedding dress," she said with a forced smile. She stood and took her plate to the sink. She swiped the list from the table and headed out the front door, reading it aloud as she went. "Pick a date, choose color scheme, contact photographer. . ."

"She seems better," Chichi said.

"We're working on it," Gohan said, shoveling the rest of his food in his mouth. "Thanks for lunch, mom." He ran to follow Lindsey.

She was nearly to her car when he caught up to her. "Where ya going?"

"I was, uh, gonna go start on your mom's list," she said.

"You want me to come with you?"

"Nah," she answered. "I'm okay."

"I don't mind," Gohan said, hoping she'd let him come along. He didn't like being away from her. He worried that something else would happen and he wouldn't be there to protect her.

"Pick a dress is near the top of the list," she said, holding it up to show him. "You can't see me in the dress."

He beamed at her. "Okay then. Pick out a good one."

She smiled again, gave him a tiny peck on the lips, then hopped in her car. He watched her drive away and felt his hopes lift. She was picking out her dress. This was a good sign. Maybe things were finally getting back to normal.

Lindsey strolled across the large garage of the warehouse, tossing the list on the bar counter. "Take care of that for me, would you?" she asked Yelena.

Yelena picked up the list and ran her dark eyes over it. "You want me to take care of all of this?" she asked in her light accent.

Lindsey stared at Yelena with bored eyes. "I don't know anything about this crap."

"Neither do I," Yelena answered.

"But you could knock out half that list in an afternoon," Lindsey whined. "Please? Just get Chichi off my back."

Yelena sighed and nodded, then turned to her laptop.

Lindsey wound her way passed the people in the garage until she found Kolya near the back wall, talking to Xander.

"Hey you," Xander greeted her.

She nodded to him. She crooked her finger at Kolya, signaling him to follow her. She walked through the doorway into the narrow hall and he shut the door behind him.

"You got anything for me?" she asked for the fourth time that week.

"Not now," he answered.

"Why not?" she asked, a panic rising in her chest.

"I have some on Friday," he answered.

"But, Kolya. . ."

He shrugged. "That when I get more."

She drew a long breath through her nose and huffed at him. "It's Wednesday. What am I supposed to do in the mean time?"

Kolya stared at the floor, thinking. Finally he sighed and withdrew the cell phone from his pocket. "I see what I can do."

Heaving a huge sigh of relief, Lindsey leaned back against the wall and listened as Kolya jabbered away in rapid Russian over his phone.

He hung up the phone and looked at her apologetically.

She tipped her head to the side, "Whaaaa?"

"Friday," he said.

"Goddammit," she huffed. "This is bullshit."

Kolya pressed his lips to a straight line, then pulled a pint from his back pocket. "Here."

Lindsey looked at the bottle of expensive vodka he'd pressed into her hand. "Thanks," she said half-heartedly as she unscrewed the top and took a long swallow.

"You want chaser?" he asked, eyeing her in a surprised sort of way.

She shook her head no as she continued to drink.

"Okay," he said and returned to the garage.

Lindsey slid down the wall of the hallway, drinking down the bottle as fast as her stomach would allow her. The affects weren't hitting her fast enough for her liking. She polished the bottle off quickly and squeezed her eyes shut as her head began to swim.

"Kolya?" she asked the darkness of the tiny hallway. There was no answer. "Kolya!"

The door cracked open and Kolya blinked in confusion as he found her sitting in the hall.

"I need more," she slurred, holding up the empty bottle.

"More?" he asked, tipping his head in concern.

"MORE."

He took the empty bottle from her and returned moments late with a fresh one. He handed it to her without saying a word, then sat on the floor next to her. He gave her a playful shove with his elbow and she jumped, slopping some of the liquid down her front.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled. She slid a couple feet away from him, nursing the bottle and eyeing him suspiciously.

Kolya looked confused and stood to walk away from her. He looked like he wanted to say something, but seemed to think better of it, and left.

The blackness of the hallway appeared to be growing as she drank. Weird shadows seemed to move on the walls. She whimpered and tried to shrink back against the wall. The feeling of falling asleep came upon her strongly and so swiftly, she could barely process what was happening, and she slumped sideways, completely asleep before she even hit the floor.

She awoke to a soft rocking feeling, the side of her face blissfully cool. Her eyes fluttered open. It was dark and her face was pressed against the cold glass of a car window. Her stomach was churning. The only thing keeping her from being sick was that cool, smooth pane of glass. She closed her eyes again and groaned.

Gohan sat in the living room, staring out the front window. The girls had taken Piccolo, Seventeen and Trunks to the movies. He'd been hoping Lindsey would have returned home in time so they could go, too. Goku, Yamcha, Tien and Krillin were there with him, sitting on the floor around the coffee table, playing card in their hands.

"Don't you want to play, Gohan?" Krillin asked.

"No thanks," Gohan answered without looking away from the window.

"She'll be back soon," Yamcha said absently, considering his cards.

Gohan didn't reply.

Every minute seemed as long as an hour. She wasn't answering her phone. There was no way any wedding shop was still open this late.

Headlights rolled across the windows and Gohan breathed a sigh of relief as he saw Xander's GTO pull to a stop in the circle drive. He'd never been so happy to see Xander. Gohan jumped up and headed out the front door.

With the lazy movement of a large cat, Xander slid out of his car and slammed the door behind him.

"You got Lindsey with you?" Gohan called as he walked down the front steps.

"Yeah, she's in there," Xander answered in his deep voice.

"Did something happen to her car?" Gohan asked, standing next to Xander.

"Nah, her car's fine. She's not."

Gohan's insides turned to ice. "What do you mean?"

"I found her passed out in a hallway. She's drunk as hell, man."

Gohan relaxed slightly. Drunk, he could handle.

"Thanks for driving her home," he said.

Xander walked around the front of the car, pulled open the passenger side door, and grabbed Lindsey by the wrist. He hauled her to her feet and she shouted in protest.

"Get off me!" she yelled at Xander and slapped at him across the face. She took a few wobbly steps forward before her feet slid out from under her on the gravel. She sat there for a moment before uttering a pitiful sounding, "ow."

Xander shook his head as he stared at her.

Gohan started towards her, reaching to help her up. She withdrew from him. "Leave me alone."

Gohan looked up to Xander, confusion on his face. "I told you. She's DRUNK."

"Lindsey, it's me," Gohan said in a soft voice, crouching down to be on eye level with her.

Her green eyes blinked slowly at him, a blank expression across her face. She didn't even know where she was. Gohan waited for a few minutes before he tried to pull her to her feet again. She screamed again, struggling to pull her wrist from his grip, clawing at his arm with her free hand.

"It's me!" he shouted. "It's Gohan! I'm not going to hurt you!"

Hearing the commotion from inside the house, Goku, Krillin, Tien and Yamcha ran out onto the porch. They stared in bewilderment as Gohan held Lindsey's arm, trying to calm her down, as she lay nearly sideways on the ground, screaming and kicking, sending gravel flying.

"What is going on out here?" Goku yelled and started across the yard towards them.

Gohan paused to look up at his dad. "She's drunk, I'm trying to get her in the house."

Lindsey was trying desperately to peel Gohan's fingers from her wrist. "Please, let go," she begged. "LET GO!"

"Let her go, Gohan," Goku said. Gohan released his grip and Lindsey fell back into the gravel. "Lindsey, get up," Goku commanded. She stared at him, wild-eyed and distrusting. "You need to go to bed."

She didn't move or respond. She rolled to her left side and put her right hand to her face.

"Get up," Goku said again, a little more harshly this time.

"Go away," she murmured.

A stern look crossed Goku's face and he bent down to her. In one quick movement, he picked her up and hauled her over his shoulder. Screaming in protest, she pounded her fists on his back. "Let me go! Don't touch me! Leave me alone! Stop! STOP! You're hurting me!"

Goku wasn't phased as he carried her across the lawn. Lindsey tried to twist and squirm away, but it was useless.

"GET OFF OF ME!" she screamed, the sound a gut-wrenching plea. "PLE-HEASE! DON'T!"

Yamcha and Krillin stepped to the side so Goku could pass them. He carried her straight into the house and up the stairs to her room, followed by Gohan. He flipped her from his shoulder onto the bed.

"Thanks dad," Gohan said, staring miserably at his fiancée as she curled into a fetal position on the bed.

Not knowing what to say or think, Goku squeezed Gohan's shoulder and left the room. Gohan sat on the edge of the bed, trying to decide what to do. Lindsey gave one big, shuddering sigh and fell asleep.

"She'll be okay," Xander said from the doorway.

Gohan hadn't even realized he was standing there. "Thanks for bringing her home," he said again.

"No big deal," Xander said.

They looked at each other for a minute before Xander said, "Well I gotta get back. See you later, Gohan."

"See ya," Gohan said.

He ran a hand through his hair, squeezing the back of his neck. He pulled her shoes off and tossed them aside. He didn't dare try to help her change clothes. He changed his own clothes to pajamas, clicked the light off, then slipped into bed beside her.

He lay in the dark, replaying the scene from outside in his head. He was terribly embarrassed that not only had his father seen how she was behaving, but Yamcha and Krillin and Tien as well. It was just like Piccolo had said.

Gohan felt as if a weight were pressing on his chest. He reached for her in the dark and curled his body against her back.

"Gohan," she murmured in her sleep.

"It's me," he whispered to her. "I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

He nuzzled into the back of her neck, the sweet scent of her perfume mixed with alcohol. He sighed, feeling her cool, soft skin against his face. He wanted her so badly. He wanted her smile, her laugh, her larger-than-life personality. He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting tears that came anyway.


	15. Yelena's Rescue

Gohan sat at the computer in Lindsey's room, waiting for her to wake up. His eyes roamed over the website, reading the signs and symptoms of alcoholism. They just didn't seem to fit. So she'd gotten blasted 2 times in the past month. That didn't seem like such a big deal. Maybe he was overreacting.

She finally stirred at about ten, squinting her eyes against the sunlight streaming through the window. "Gohan?" she asked.

"You're awake," he smiled, spinning in the computer chair to face her.

She looked around, "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" he asked.

"No," she groaned, sitting up and dropping her feet to the floor.

"Xander brought you home," Gohan said.

"Xander?"

"Yeah," Gohan said, a bit unpleased. "Why were you at the warehouse?"

Lindsey rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "I went to ask Yelena for help. . ."

"Help with what?" he asked skeptically.

"Wedding stuff," she answered.

Gohan cocked his eyebrow. "Now what would she know about planning a wedding?"

From downstairs came the chime of the doorbell.

"She's good at research," Lindsey continued. "I thought maybe-"

"Lindsey!" came Goku's voice from downstairs. "Someone's here to see you!"

"Oh, gods," Lindsey moaned and started for the door.

"This conversation isn't over," Gohan said as he stood to follow her.

Lindsey's stomach twisted into knots, but she nodded.

Yelena looked like a miracle to Lindsey, standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here?" Gohan asked her.

Yelena fixed him with a stern look before she said, "I'm here to take Lindsey for her first fitting."

"For your dress?" Catie asked, walking in from the kitchen.

Yelena nodded.

"SQUEEEEE!" Catie beamed. "Can I come too?"

Lindsey and Yelena looked at each other for a moment, before Lindsey turned to her. "Sure, Cat."

"Oh my god, oh my god," Catie bounced across the room. "Let me change my clothes!" and she ran up the stairs.

"You might want to shower," Yelena told Lindsey in a hushed voice. "I'll wait."

"Okay," Lindsey said in grateful confusion. She followed Catie upstairs.

"I thought the dress fittings weren't until a week before the wedding?" Chichi said frantically, pulling a copy of the list she'd given Lindsey out of her pocket. "I'm sure of it," she added, her eyes scanning the list.

Yelena leaned against the doorframe, a bored expression on her face.

"Yes, yes, here it is!" Chichi proclaimed, holding up the list and pointing to a line near the bottom.

"Yorgi is having a dress made," Yelena explained in a bored voice. "Geumbee will need measurements to start."

"O-Oh!" Chichi blushed. "That sounds expensive."

"It is." Yelena examined her perfectly manicured nails.

"It's probably not a big deal for him, mom," Gohan explained, trying to ease the tension.

"Well, I suppose that's very generous of him," Chichi said, tucking the list back into her pocket. "Are you going to be helping her plan the wedding?" she asked Yelena, trying to make polite conversation.

"Yes."

"Have you ever planned a wedding before?"

Yelena shook her head. "I know nothing of this kind of thing."

"Oh, don't be so modest, Yelena," Gohan laughed nervously. "You're brilliant on the computer! It should be easy for you."

Yelena ran her eyes up and down Gohan in skepticism before she gave a huge eye roll. Flowers and frilly things were silly to her and she was only doing this for her friend.

Catie and Lindsey returned shortly later, Lindsey's dreadlocks dripping on the carpet. Yelena wrinkled her nose. "You're getting those redone," she said, lifting one and examining it. "Your hair looks like shit."

"Gee, thanks," Lindsey replied sarcastically.

"Look! I see you roots!"

"Your," Lindsey corrected Yelena's English. "Your roots. With an R on the end."

"Your roots," Yelena repeated with a nod. Her English was probably the best of her Russian comrades, but she still forgot bits and pieces from time to time and honestly didn't mind being corrected.

It was true what she said about Lindsey's hair, though. The dreadlocks were hanging limply from her naturally red hair, which was starting to grow back in.

"I make you appointment," Yelena said.

Lindsey was tempted to correct her again, but then thought better of it. How Yelena knew Lindsey needed saving, she wasn't sure, but she was grateful that Yelena was here nonetheless.

"Ready to go?" Lindsey asked Catie.

Catie nodded and turned to Jenny, who was sitting on the couch. "You wanna come?"

Jenny shook her head. "I'm really nauseous this morning. I don't think I can handle the car ride."

"Okay, we'll see you later," Catie said to her, giving Trunks a big kiss and hug.

"See ya," Gohan said quietly to Lindsey.

"Bye," she said and hesitantly gave him a quick kiss.

The three girls headed for Yelena's gleaming silver sports car. Catie climbed in the back seat as Lindsey and Yelena got in the front, and Yelena shifted gears quickly, eager to get away from the farm house. It was far too ordinary for her taste.

Yelena said something in Russian and Lindsey shook her head. "I don't speak Russian, Yelena. You know that."

Yelena bit her bottom lip and slapped the steering wheel, glancing at Catie in the rearview mirror.

Lindsey's eyes moved quickly from Yelena to the mirror then back to Yelena. Their eyes met, and Lindsey gave a sideways glance at the back seat. Yelena gave the tiniest of nods.

Lindsey understood then. Yelena was unpleased that Catie was with them. Lindsey offered Yelena an apologetic look and Yelena huffed.

"So what kind of dress do you want?" Catie asked, missing the exchange between the women in the front seat.

"I don't know yet," Lindsey said, thinking. "Something big and extravagant. Is Geumbee really going to make my dress?"

Yelena nodded. "Yorgi had her flown in from New York this morning."

"I haven't seen her in a long time," Lindsey said, thinking about the tiny Korean girl she'd met in high school. "I didn't know Yorgi knew her."

"He doesn't," Yelena answered. "But he's heard you speak of her. I tracked her down and convinced her to come."

"Thanks, Yelena. For everything."

Yelena looked at Lindsey out of the corner of her eye, then gave a small smile.

"Leenseeee!" Geumbee squealed in her cute accent, running forward and hugging her friend who stood a good head taller than her.

"Oh, she gets hugs and I don't?" Kolya asked Lindsey, leaning against the bar.

Lindsey gave her tiny friend a squeeze.

"I at good height, too," Geumbee smiled at Kolya. Keeping her face turned towards him, she leaned back into Lindsey, her cheek resting against Lindsey's breast.

Kolya's eyes narrowed. He grumbled something that sounded like, "That's bullshit," and turned away from them.

"Geumbee!" Lindsey exclaimed with a giggle. She'd forgotten how forward and innocent Geumbee could be.

Geumbee stepped back. "You American girls have such big boobs," she said, looking down at her own tiny frame. "It's not fair."

"With what Yorgi's paying you, you can buy some," Yelena said sternly. "Come. We use my room."

Yelena's room was huge with big windows overlooking the ground around the warehouse. She had a vaulted ceiling from which hung an exquisite crystal chandelier. A lush, white fur rug covered a good piece of the dark hardwood floor. Her desk was a dark, reddish wood with a hand carved marble top Yorgi had imported from Italy. Every tiny detail in the room spoke to Yelena's expensive taste and Yorgi's eagerness to give it to her.

Yelena strode across the room and threw open the large French doors to her closet. Her closet was, in fact, a secondary room, not quite as large as the first. Designer clothes hung in protective garment bags and mannequins displayed some of her favorite pieces, including opulent necklaces made of fine jewels. A particularly ornate, gothic piece caught Lindsey's eye and she stopped to examine it.

"Black diamonds," Yelena said with an air of smugness.

"It's breath taking," Lindsey said. She'd never seen anything so beautiful in her life.

One corner of the room was exceptionally well lit with multi-angled mirrors like those you see in a professional dress shop. A small pedestal was there before them.

"You take these off," Geumbee said, plucking at Lindsey's clothes as she sat on the chaise lounge and began pulling things from her bag.

"Yelena, I feel like I could go shopping in here," Catie grinned, looking around the room.

Yelena smirked and sat at her vanity, examining her makeup.

Lindsey nervously undressed and stood on the pedestal. She looked at the floor, not wanting to stare at herself in the mirror.

"You so tall," Geumbee sighed as she began taking measurements and writing them neatly on a small notebook. "Not fair," she said again as she measured Lindsey's bust. When she was done, Lindsey dressed quickly and the two girls sat at Yelena's desk. Geumbee pulled a large sketch pad from her bag and some pencils.

"What style do you want?" Geumbee asked, looking excited.

"Something that's tight on the top, strapless with a really full skirt," Lindsey answered.

"You want really big?" Geumbee asked, making fluffing motions with her hands.

"Ridiculously big," Lindsey answered.

Geumbee scratched away at the paper before her, sketching a woman's figure, then drawing the beginnings of the dress over it.

"You want long train, too?"

Lindsey nodded.

Skritch skritch skritch went Geumbee's pencil.

"And a three-tiered veil," Lindsey added. She didn't know where the ideas were coming from, but the distraction of planning her dress was more enticing than thinking about her previous actions the night before and the conversation Gohan wanted to have about them. It was not, however, helping her massive headache.

As if reading Lindsey's mind again, Yelena pressed two pills into her hand and offered a bottle of water.

Without question, Lindsey gulped them down.

"You want beading?"

"Not a lot," Lindsey said. "I want to wear some pretty jewelry, I don't want to get too gaudy."

Geumbee nodded and continued to draw. "What about something like this?" she said finally, as she held up the sketch for Lindsey to examine.

Lindsey's breath caught in her throat. "Geumbee… that's perfect."

The dress featured a strapless top with a deep neckline, and Lindsey had to smile. Geumbee's envy of buxom women drove her to display other's endowments whenever possible. The top was gathered to the left side of the dress, meeting a large rosette at the top of the skirt. From this rose, the skirt split into a wide, upside down V, displaying the layers of material beneath it, each side lined with more rosettes.

"I make them from chiffon," Geumbee said, pointing to the roses with the tip of her pencil. "I think a dress with a very pale gold huge would look amazing."

The skirt was even fuller than Lindsey had hoped for and a long train would trail behind it. She'd never known what her dream dress was until she saw this sketch.

"Thank you, Geumbee," Lindsey said.

Geumbee beamed with pride.

"That's settled then," Yelena said. "Now, Catie, why don't you take Geumbee downstairs and help her find something to drink."

Catie leaned over Lindsey's shoulder, staring at the sketch. "You're going to look beautiful." She kissed Lindsey's temple and Lindsey squeezed her eyes closed, willing herself to not pull away from her friend. It wasn't so bad with the girls.

"Come on, Geumbee," Catie grinned.

Geumbee tucked her supplies back into her bag and slung it over her shoulder. "I see you later," she said and followed Catie out of the room.

"Yorgi wants to see you," Yelena said and sat down at her vanity again.

"About what?" Lindsey asked.

Yelena looked stern and didn't answer.


	16. Yorgi Knows

Lindsey made her way down the long hallway to Yorgi's room. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, then knocked on the heavy oak door.

"Come in," came Yorgi's voice.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked, cracking the door and peeking inside.

"Ah, little dove, come in," he said, motioning her forward with his hand. She stepped inside and closed the door. Yorgi's room was every bit as extravagant as Yelena's, but with a decidedly more masculine feel.

Lindsey was nervous as she crossed the room to him. He smiled warmly at her, but she knew how easily he faked that sort of thing.

"I need you here tomorrow night," he said in his low accented voice. "We have meeting."

A bit of relief washed over her. She'd been afraid he was going to admonish her for her drinking.

"A meeting?" she asked innocently.

"With a very important businessman. I want you by my side."

Lindsey blinked a couple times. Yorgi had never asked this from her before. "What about Yelena?"

"She'll be there," he said. "And you are spending the next two days with her. You do as she says."

Lindsey tipped her head slightly, her expression asking him to explain.

"You will be charming. You will be proper. You will speak only when the need calls for it. This is a very important deal." His expression was serious and his hazel eyes seemed to bore into hers.

"I understand," she said quietly.

"Good." His expression warmed again. "I knew I could count on you." He placed his hands on either side of her shoulders and she quickly shied away from him.

Yorgi looked hurt and furious. "Why did you recoil? I have never hurt you before."

Lindsey looked quickly to the floor. "I-I'm sorry. Force of habit."

"It has become a habit for you to pull away from me?"

"From everyone," she whispered.

Yorgi's eyes narrowed and he spoke with an intense tone. "You will not behave like that tomorrow. You must break this habit now."

"I don't know how to," she whimpered.

"I do not understand," Yorgi said. "You have always been strong. You have been beaten in a fight before. You did not react like this. The fuck happened to you?" His eyes swept up and down her, an air of disgust in his voice. Yorgi disapproved of weakness.

Still looking at the floor, she shook her head as tears burned the corners of her eyes, threatening to fall. Even with Yorgi, she couldn't say it out loud.

Yorgi stared at her for several long minutes. Then he took a sudden, sharp breath, horror and anger flashing through his eyes. "You were more than beaten."

Shaking, she nodded.

"Little dove," he said softly, reaching forward again and gently touching her chin, raising her eyes to him. "I will never let anyone hurt you again. You are safe, here, with me."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and said, "I'm not safe anywhere."

His lips quivered in anger. "I will kill them. I kill their whole family."

"That won't fix it," she said.

The pure rage that emanated from Yorgi was terrifying. She could feel it in the air as he stood before her, his hands clenching into fists, his entire body shivering. The people around them getting hurt was nothing new to Anarchy 99, even when it wasn't self inflicted. But someone getting abused, a woman getting abused, was unacceptable. Yorgi ran a hand over his face, squeezing his chin.

"Who else knows?" he asked.

"Gohan," she answered.

"And no one else?"

"No one."

Yorgi shook his head violently and stamped his foot. "NO!"

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You have nothing to be sorry about," Yorgi said. He took several deep breaths, which did nothing to calm his temper. Lindsey had never seen him so angry. He paced around the room, yelling in Russian. He snatched a vase from the nightstand and launched it across the room where it hit the wall and shattered. She flinched.

He finally came to a stop at his bed and leaned his forehead against the post. "Not you," he moaned.

Lindsey blinked at him. It was uncharacteristic of him to appear sad. She'd seen him angry, and happy, indifferent, and authoritative. It was well-known that he loved Yelena. On the rare occasion, out of view of anyone else, she'd even seen him compassionate. But never sad. It scared her terribly.

Yorgi screwed up his face and huffed a quick sigh, shaking his head back and forth slowly, still leaning his head against the bed.

"Yorgi, I'm okay," she lied in a soft voice, trying to calm him. She felt a strange need to hold him, squeeze him tightly and convince him that she was the strong person she used to be. But she had never been that affectionate towards him and she just couldn't bring herself to even touch him. She hated herself for it.

"Don't lie to me," he answered, his head snapping up to look at her. He dragged both hands over his face. Seeming to make up his mind about something, Yorgi walked quickly across the room, threw open his door and bellowed, "KIRILL!"

Lindsey flinched and spun on her heel. Kirill was not someone she wanted to be around. He creeped her out.

The sniper walked into the room, a curious expression on his sharp features. Yorgi spoke to him in Russian, he nodded, and left.

"There is no time today," Yorgi said, walking back to Lindsey. "On Saturday, you will go to the range with Kirill."

"I know how to use a gun," she said, not wanting to be alone with the man who sent a chill up her spine.

"You know how to hunt," Yorgi corrected her. "You own no handgun."

Slowly, she nodded, knowing it was useless to argue.

"Good. Now, you go to Yelena," he said, running a hand through his long, thick hair that hung in dark curls to his shoulders. "I need to think. And do not leave this house without telling me."

"Sit up straight," Yelena hissed. "Your posture is terrible."

"Sorry," Lindsey said, straightening her spine and staring at the elaborate place setting before her. "Is it really necessary to have all these dishes?"

"This is important," Yelena said, yet again. "Yorgi will have both our heads if you offend anyone. Now, try again."

Lindsey reached for her water goblet, grabbing it around the stem.

"You're not whacking off your boyfriend," Yelena scolded and Lindsey blushed. "You don't grab it with your whole fist. Pick it up, gracefully, like this." She reached across Lindsey, gingerly picking up the glass with two fingertips and her thumb. "And you sip. Do not gulp like a dog at water dish." She set the goblet back down.

Lindsey did as Yelena instructed, managing to pick the glass up properly. She tried to take a tiny sip, but her hand slipped and she sopped water down her front.

"This is hopeless," Yelena growled impatiently.

"I'm sorry," Lindsey said, feeling like a fool.

Yelena sighed. "Again."

It was early evening before Yelena released Lindsey from her lesson. Lindsey shook her head as she left, pulling her phone from her pocket as she went.

"How's it going, babe?" Gohan asked.

"Eh, okay," Lindsey said.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothin'. I'm supposed to go to dinner with Yorgi tomorrow night," she said, figuring it was easier to just tell the truth.

"What for?"

"Some kind of meeting he wants me to go to. I don't know what it's about. I think I'm just going to spend the night here. I've got stuff to work on tomorrow with Yelena."

"You want me to come up?"

"You'll be bored all day tomorrow if you do."

"No I won't. I don't mind."

Lindsey sighed. "I dunno."

"I can leave in the morning. I just don't want you by yourself."

"Okay."

"Great. I'll see you in a little bit."

Lindsey hung up the phone. She entered the garage to find Catie and Geumbee sitting at the small bar, Geumbee slowly pronouncing something in Korean to Catie.

Catie looked up at Lindsey and grinned. "I'm learning Korean!"

"That's great, Cat. What have you learned?"

Catie rambled off something that Lindsey didn't understand.

"And what does that mean?"

"My pants are on fire!"

Lindsey snorted, amused. "Lovely."

She had just sat down on a barstool when Gohan walked in, followed by Trunks.

"I didn't know you were coming, too," Lindsey said to Trunks as the boys walked up to the bar.

"Is that a problem?" he asked.

"No, you're fine," she answered.

Catie yelled, "My pants are on fire!" to Trunks and she and Geumbee broke into giggles.

"I worry about you," Trunks laughed and kissed Catie.

"Don't you wanna know what I said?" she asked.

"Not really," he answered, sitting next to her.

"I'm starving," Gohan said. "You guys wanna get something to eat?"

"I already ate," Lindsey lied.

"We're getting ready to order pizza," Xander said from across the room. He and Kolya had been lounging on the floor, deep in concentration on their video game. "You want some?"

"Sounds great," Trunks answered happily.

"I am so full," Gohan groaned a couple hours later.

"You should be," Lindsey said. "You ate three pies."

Gohan shrugged. "Can't help it." He settled back into the couch and turned his attention to the television where Xander and Kolya had resumed their game.

Lindsey jumped as she felt a tugging at her hair. "Hey!"

"Calm down," said a British-tinged accent. "Yelena told me to take these out."

"Oh, Sophie, it's just you," Lindsey sighed and leaned back.

"She was right. Your hair looks like shite," Sophie said as she began to undo the dreadlocks.

"Nice to have everyone throwing compliments at me," Lindsey huffed.

"Hush," Sophie scolded and continued to work.

It took two hours, even with Catie's help, to remove all the dreadlocks. Lindsey's head felt incredibly light and she kept tipping her neck side to side and scratching at her scalp.

"I don't know what they're going to do with this," Sophie said, fingering Lindsey's short hair.

"It's better than it was," Gohan said.

"I look like a boy," Lindsey sighed, catching a glimpse of herself in the darkened windows.

"You're fine," Gohan said and kissed her forehead.

"It's bedtime for you," Sophie said. "You have an early morning tomorrow."

Lindsey huffed and pushed herself to her feet. "Getting real sick of everyone ordering me around like a child."

"Suit yourself," Sophie replied, flopping down next to Kolya. "If you wanna be tired all day, that's your call."

"We'll come with you," Catie offered, standing and pulling Trunks with her as Gohan stood up.

Together, they made their way to Lindsey's room.

"This place is a maze," Trunks said in awe as they walked passed room after room. Some had left their doors open, loud music blaring or the sounds of TVs emanating from behind others that were kept closed.

Lindsey opened the door to her room.

"Nice," Trunks said appreciatively.

Lindsey opened her dresser and withdrew two sets of pajamas and tossed one to Catie.

"Thankie," Catie grinned.

The girls changed quickly inside Lindsey's walk-in closet (which now seemed altogether tiny compared to Yelena's.)

Trunks had turned on the TV and was sitting at the foot of the bed while Gohan was browsing the books on the bookcase.

Without a word, Lindsey crawled under the black and red comforter and curled up on her side.

"Is this bothering you?" Trunks asked her.

She shook her head no and closed her eyes.

Gohan pulled a book from the shelf and sat down on the bed, leaning against the headboard.

"Ooo, this is a good movie," Catie said, sitting next to Trunks.

"Are you going to dinner tomorrow night, too?" Gohan asked Catie.

"I wasn't invited," she answered, sounding disappointed.

"Darn," Gohan said as he opened the novel. "I was hoping you'd be there with her."

Catie shrugged. "I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"I'm always worried," he said absently.

Lindsey gave a soft snore, already asleep.

"Gohan, I'm sorry for the things I said," Catie apologized sheepishly. "I know it wasn't your fault."

Gohan stuck his finger in the book, marking his place, and looked up at her. "I'm sorry, too, Catie."

"Are we okay, then?"

Gohan smiled. "Yeah."

"About damn time!" Trunks cried loudly.

Gohan scolded, "Shhh!" as Lindsey stirred briefly.

They all held their breath, then continued their conversation when they were sure she hadn't woken.

"So how's the wedding planning coming?" Trunks asked.

"Beats me," Gohan said. "Seems like Yelena's taken over."

"She doesn't seem terribly interested, though," Catie said. "But you should seeeeeeee the dress Geumbee designed."

"Yeah?" Gohan asked, interested. "Is it pretty?"

"I've never seen anything like it," Catie said dreamily. "It's gorgeous. I bet it'll be even better in person."

Gohan's heart warmed at the thought. "I can't wait."

Trunks eyed Catie nervously as she stared at the ceiling with a dreamy, romantic expression on her face. Gohan snickered and pointed at Trunks, mouthing the words, "You're next."

Trunks' eyes widened and he shook his head. "Don't you start," he mouthed back breathlessly.

Gohan laughed out loud.

Catie jerked back to reality. "What's so funny?"

"Uh, the, um, movie," Gohan said quickly and ducked behind his book.

Catie looked questioningly to Trunks who simply shrugged and fixed the TV with an intense stare.

About an hour into the movie, Lindsey began to rustle around in the bed. Trunks and Catie turned to watch her as Gohan set his book on the nightstand.

"Not again," he breathed, leaning down on his side close to his girlfriend.

"Again?" Trunks whispered, concern all over his face.

"She does this," Gohan whispered back.

A sob escaped from Lindsey's throat. She tossed back and forth a couple times, throwing her arms out as if pushing someone away. "Stop!"

Catie bit her lip in worry.

"Should you wake her up?" she asked.

"No, usually she settles down and goes right back to sleep."

Lindsey whined pitifully. "Nooo."

"Shh, you're okay," Gohan soothed, touching her arm.

"Get off me!" she suddenly screamed. "Help! Gohan! Help me!"

"I'm here!" he said, grabbing her arm and laying his face on the pillow next to her. "I'm right here."

"Stop, no! Ow, ow, ow! Don't! Please!" Her voice cracked as she pleaded with her attacker in her dream.

"Lindsey, you're okay," Gohan said in a gentle voice.

"Stop biting," she cried as tears began to roll. "I don't want to."

"Stop," Gohan whispered to her. "Stop, baby, stop."

She violently kicked out at him, throwing herself out of bed at the same time. Her eyes flew open and she stared at her friends in shock for a minute.

"Are you okay?" Catie yelped, jumping from the bed and kneeling next to her friend.

Lindsey squeezed her eyes shut a couple times and shook her head. "Bad dream."

"I'd say," Trunks said.

"I just… need a minute," Lindsey said, getting shakily to her feet. She walked to the bathroom and clicked on the light.

"That was scary," Catie said, sitting back down next to Trunks, visibly shaken.

Gohan shrugged. "I've seen worse."

"Really?" Trunks asked in a hushed voice. He cast a glance at the bathroom door, then asked, "Like what?"

Gohan shook his head. "Just, like, longer versions of this. Sometimes she just cries. She tries to say they're just random dreams, but I don't believe her."

"You think she's dreaming about…" Catie started, but cut herself off as the bathroom door opened.

"Sorry, guys," Lindsey said, trying to force a smile. "Who knew a dream about zombies could be so scary, huh?" She climbed back into bed next to Gohan and snuggled into her pillow.

"See?" Gohan mouthed.

They sat quietly and watched her until they were certain she'd fallen back asleep.

"Do you think she's dreaming about what happened?" Catie asked in a whisper so soft, Gohan barely heard her.

He nodded.

"No wonder Piccolo caught her drinking. I'd have a drink, too," Catie continued in a whisper.

"As long as it doesn't become a habit," Trunks added, his voice hushed like hers.

"I looked that up," Gohan said, crossing his legs and leaning over them towards his friends so they could hear him better. "I didn't see anything online that would suggest she had a problem. Do you think Piccolo overreacted?"

"I'd keep an eye on her," Trunks answered. "It may not be a problem yet, but you don't want it to become one, either."

"True," Gohan said, casting a worried glance at the girl sleeping next to him.

"How horrible to be reliving your worst nightmare every time you sleep," Catie sighed sadly.


	17. Mr Dalessandro

Lindsey was woken early the next morning by Yelena.

"Come," Yelena whispered.

Sleepily, Lindsey got out of bed and followed Yelena into the hall. "What time is it?" she yawned.

"Five-thirty," Yelena answered.

"Ermahgerd," Lindsey moaned.

"You have a full day ahead," Yelena said. "We must get started." She didn't say another word until they'd reached the formal living room.

"We practice sitting now," Yelena said.

Lindsey's eyebrows rose in disbelief. "Practice sitting?"

"Yes," Yelena answered. "It will be good for you to know at your wedding, anyway."

Lindsey sighed, absolutely too tired to argue.

"The hair dresser will be here at eight," Yelena said. Her eyes fixed on Lindsey's head. "That looks atrocious."

"Won't they just put the dreads back in?"

"Yorgi wants you to be formal," Yelena answered. "You may have to wear a wig."

"A wig?" Lindsey asked, looking thoroughly disgust.

"It's not so bad," Yelena answered.

"When the hell have you ever worn a wig?" Lindsey asked in disbelief.

"What I do in the privacy of my bedroom is none of your concern," Yelena answered snottily.

Lindsey's eyes widened and she blinked several times. "I did not need to know that."

Yelena rolled her eyes. "We're wasting time."

By the time the hair dresser arrived at eight, Lindsey's etiquette was progressing to Yelena's liking.

They had climbed the stairs to Yelena's room once again and the stylist was considering Lindsey's hair.

"It's just too short," she said.

"What about this?" Yelena asked, opening a curio cabinet and withdrawing a long, blonde wig.

"Oh my fucking god, you were serious," Lindsey breathed.

"Shut up," Yelena shot back.

"Blonde?" Lindsey asked.

"Try it," Yelena said.

The stylist took the wig from her and fitted it over Lindsey's own hair. "This is a nice one," she said, running her fingers through the thick, silky strands. "This was expensive."

Lindsey stared at herself in the mirror. "I look weird as a blonde."

"This will be a lot better," the stylist said. "I can go ahead and arrange it for you and then when you're ready for your party, all you have to do is slip it on."

"Okay," Lindsey said in a resigned sort of way and wrinkled her nose at her reflection.

* * *

Lindsey returned to her bedroom, carrying the Styrofoam head with her, the freshly styled wig, arranged in a romantic updo, perched on top. Her fingernails felt funny and raw, the new acrylics gleaming in the light. She found Catie, Trunks, and Gohan still in her room. Gohan was sleeping soundly in his spot on the bed while Catie was curled up at the foot of the bed. Trunks was awake and sitting at the desk, clicking furiously on the mouse.

"Die, you stupid zombies!" he hissed.

"Having fun?" Lindsey asked as she placed the mannequin head on her dresser.

"Loads," Trunks answered. "This game is addictive."

"It will eat your soul," Lindsey responded.

Trunks paused his game and spun the chair around to face her. "What is that?"

"My new hair," Lindsey answered.

"Blonde?" he asked, wrinkling his nose.

"I know, right? My reaction, exactly." Lindsey shook her head. "Blondes are pretty, but I think I look weird."

"Let me be the judge of that," Trunks said, crossing his arms.

Lindsey sighed as she tucked her short hair behind her ears and slipped the wig on.

"It's not bad," Trunks said. "It's definitely different."

"Meh," Lindsey responded, replacing the wig on its stand.

"Give it here," Trunks said with a devilish smirk.

"Huh?"

"Give it here," he repeated.

Confused, Lindsey handed it over. "Be careful. Yelena will kill me if we mess it up."

Trunks tipped his head back, giving his silky lavender hair a shake, then slipped the wig on his head.

Lindsey covered her mouth with her hand, suppressing a tiny giggle.

Trunks stood and leaned over Catie as he shook her awake. "Good morning, honey," he said in a falsetto voice.

Catie's eyes flew open and she jumped. "What the…" she stared at her boyfriend in shock. "OH… MY… GOD…" She threw her head back, laughing loudly.

"Don't I look pretty?" he asked, retaining the high pitch.

"You look beautiful," she answered between laughs.

Gohan sat up sleepily. "Oh dear god." He laughed along with Catie. "Where on earth did you get that?"

"It's Lindsey's," Trunks answered and finally slipped the wig from his head. He handed it back.

"Yours?" Gohan asked.

"Just for tonight. Anyway, I gotta get back. Don't tear it up," she said as she headed for the door.

She found Yelena still in the formal living room, Kirill by her side. He looked absolutely enthralled.

"Hi Kirill," Lindsey said, uncertain as to why he was there.

"You're going to practice greetings," Yelena said.

"Greetings?" Lindsey asked. Then it dawned on her. "You mean…"

Yelena stepped close and spoke softly into Lindsey's ear. "Yorgi told me you have to stop your knee-jerk reaction of pulling away from people. If you can prevent yourself from recoiling from Kirill, you can do it with anyone."

Lindsey felt like she wanted to cry or vomit or run away. Perhaps all three. Why Kirill?

"Now, your offer him your hand, like this," Yelena said, demonstrating. Kirill took it, and pressed his lips to her knuckles, lingering a bit too long. Yelena smiled graciously, then turned to Lindsey. "See? I want to kill him, but I suppress it. You can do it too."

Kirill retained an expressionless face at her words.

Lindsey stepped forward, extending her hand to Kirill. He took it gently in his own, but she pulled back quickly as though he'd scorched her.

Kirill looked puzzled and Yelena rolled her eyes. "Again."

Lindsey tried again, her hand shaking. Yelena slapped it.

"What was that for?"

"You must be confident," Yelena said, "without being cocky. Appearing insecure or shy is unattractive. Again."

Lindsey took a deep breath, willing her hand to remain steady. Kirill reached for it and she hesitated for a split second, earning her more scolding from Yelena.

"I don't know why you're being the way you are!" Yelena yelled. "It's just Kirill! Hold his damn hand!" She grabbed Lindsey's wrist and slapped her hand into Kirill's, then placed her own hands around theirs. "He is not hurting you," she said sternly as a look of fear came over Lindsey's face.

Lindsey felt like crying. She was breathing fast, wiggling her fingers in Kirill's strong grip.

"Stop," Yelena said, feeling the twist of Lindsey's wrist. "Stop."

Lindsey gritted her teeth. "I…"

"You are fine."

Kirill had a blank expression on his face as he held her hand. Her breathing quickened.

"Stop," Yelena repeated slowly. "Breathe. He is not hurting you. He is not going to hurt you."

Lindsey struggled to get oxygen in her lungs. She finally drew a long, deep breath, which calmed her slightly.

"See?" Yelena said. "You are okay."

Lindsey bit her lip, staring uncertainly at her hand. This was torture. But why? He wasn't hurting her. He wasn't going to hurt her. The logical side of her brain was taking over again.

Slowly, Yelena released their hands and Lindsey was able to hold on to Kirill without jerking away.

"Good," Yelena said and Kirill let go. "Now, try again."

After several more hours with Yelena, in which she practiced shaking hands, taking her seat properly, sitting up straight and a myriad of other ridiculous frivolities, Lindsey returned to her room to rest until it was time to prepare for the meeting. Gohan, Trunks and Catie were gone.

She flopped down on her bed, feeling as though she would never fall asleep, her nerves becoming more and more frazzled as the dinner approached. She set her alarm clock anyway and finally drifted off to sleep.

At about five, she awoke to the loud buzzing of her alarm. She slapped it and got out of bed. Her attention immediately went to the dress stand that had been placed in the corner of her room. A beautiful, midnight colored dress hung there. It had a plunging neckline and a long train. An envelope was pinned to the chest of the mannequin. She opened it and removed the folded piece of parchment.

_Little Dove,_

_This is for you. You will be wonderful tonight._

_Yorgi_

Shaking her head, she set the note on her desk and, after admiring the fancy dress for a moment, headed to the bathroom. She loved her bathroom at the warehouse. Painted in black and white verticle stripes with black fixtures, it reminded her of something out of a Tim Burton film. The black tile was cold on her feet as she ran the hot water into the ebony colored clawfoot tub.

She sighed contentedly as she slid into the steamy water. She allowed the tub to fill to the brim and sunk beneath the flowery scented bubbles.

After spending a good, long time soaking, she got out and drained the tub, nervous she was going to cut herself short on time. She toweled off and quickly blow-dried her hair. She dressed quickly, then slipped her wig on.

"Looks good," came Yelena's voice from behind her.

Lindsey jumped and looked at Yelena's reflection in the mirror. She wore a long, gold dress with a black lace overlay. She walked to Lindsey, lifted her arms over the now-blonde's head, and brought them down, fastening the black necklace around Lindsey's throat.

"Oh, Yelena," Lindsey breathed. It was the black diamond choker. The jewels glittered from her jaw down the length of her neck, dripping down her chest to a point just above her cleavage.

"It suits you," she said kindly.

Lindsey managed a small, nervous smile.

"Sit," Yelena said, pointing to the computer chair. She pulled her makeup from her bag and began to fix Lindsey's face. "There," she said after a few minutes.

Lindsey returned to the mirror, her breath catching. She didn't recognize herself. Yelena had given her heavy, smoky eyes with the longest lashes Lindsey had ever seen. Her lips were a wet, deep, ruby red. The dress pushed up her already full chest, the blonde wig adding to her already pale complexion.

"I look like a vampire," Lindsey said.

"Come," Yelena said, checking her own makeup quickly. "We must not be late."

The two women entered the quiet dining room, where Yorgi, Kolya, Kirill, Viktor, and Xander already sat, all dressed in black. The men rose to their feet as Yelena led the way to the table. Yorgi stood at the head of the long table and greeted her with a kiss. She moved to his immediate left and stood before her chair.

"Little dove," Yorgi addressed Lindsey. He took her left hand and kissed it, a pleased look in his eye as she did not retract her hand.

She gave a small, slow curtsey and allowed him to direct her to the empty chair to his right. He stepped behind Yelena, tucking the chair under her as Xander, who was sitting to Lindsey's right, helped her with her own.

Sitting with her back perfectly straight, Lindsey tucked her hands under the table and set them in her lap. She stared at Kolya across the table from her and he winked. She narrowed her eyes for a split second, questioning. He cast a sideways glance at his brother, who was engaged in conversation with Yelena, before swiftly touching his lips with his finger and thumb pinched together.

Lindsey's eyebrows raised. Kolya had gotten them some smoke. She'd forgotten all about it until now. She suddenly couldn't wait for dinner to be over.

Mr. Dalessandro was a mountain of a man, nearly as wide as he was tall. He had thinning gray hair and heavy facial features. With his neatly pressed pinstripe suit and the gold and ruby ring he wore on his little finger, he reminded Lindsey of a Mafia Don. Two men, who appeared to be in their late twenties and Italian as well, accompanied him along with the two beautiful, dark haired women on either side of him.

"Sit, please," Yorgi motioned for the large man to sit opposite himself at the end of the long table. Like Yorgi, the two women sat to either side of Mr. Dalessandro, the men taking the only two remaining chairs.

"Thank you for joining me tonight," Yorgi said. "I am anxious to discuss our transaction."

"Ah, ah, ah," Mr. Dalessandro said in his booming voice. "Pleasure before-a business, Yorgi. You know that."

Yorgi sat back in his seat, holding his tongue. Lindsey instantly realized just how important this was to Yorgi. No one had ever admonished Yorgi before. He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Of course."

Servers entered the room, bringing appetizers and drinks.

Mr. Dalessandro swilled the wine in his glass, inhaling deeply through his nose before drinking. He smiled appreciatively. Yorgi rested his elbows on the arms of the captain's chair, his left hand closed over his right fist, held against his mouth as he watched the old man across the table.

Mr. Dalessandro spoke jovially, recounting his days as a young man working in a pizza parlour in Chicago, the women he'd dated over the years, his home he'd built at the lake, the custom Cadillac he drove.

"But-a, that was-a many years ago," he said.

Lindsey wasn't sure of what to think about the old man. She felt a certain draw to him, a warming in her heart. She knew why. The old man reminded her of her grandfather who'd passed away. It was the accent, the distinctly Italian features of his face, his large personality that brought back the memories. She sipped her wine carefully, daintily taking bites of the exquisite food before her.

"I-a see we have a lot in-a common, you-a and I," Mr. Dalessandro said to Yorgi. "You have an obvious appreciation for fine wine, food, and-a women."

Yorgi held his wine glass up and gave a nod to Mr. Dalessandro.

The large Italian fixed his eyes on Lindsey. "And-a you. What-a is your name?"

"My name is Lindsey," she answered in a polite tone.

"Leslie?"

"Lindsey," she repeated with the same politeness, but a bit slower.

"Ah, Leendsee," he said, with a strong emphasis on the d in the middle. "What does it-a mean?"

"Isle in the brook," she answered. "An English name."

"Are you English?" he asked.

"No, my family is Irish and Italian," she answered.

"Italian!" he proclaimed. "Do you speak it?"

"A little," she said honestly.

Yorgi looked terrified behind his fists.

Mr. Dalessandro began to speak his native language. "Where do you get your Italian roots from?"

"My mother's father," Lindsey answered in the same tongue.

"Do you spend much time with them?" he asked.

"They are passed away."

An understanding expression came over the strong features. "Have you ever been to Italy?"

"No, but I plan to one day. I would like to see where my family is from." She met his eye as she spoke and kept her tone friendly.

Mr. Dalessandro considered her for a moment, before speaking again to Yorgi. "She is a good one, Yorgi. Keep this one around."

"I intend to," Yorgi said, looking at Lindsey out of the corner of his eye.

While she kept her appearance formal, on the inside Lindsey felt like jell-o. She was afraid of messing up the language and accidentally insulting the businessman.

The main course was served and a quiet settled over the table as they ate. The fine Italian cuisine was comforting to Lindsey as she ate and it was hard for her to eat it slowly and with such care. Normally on a meal like this, she ate like a Saiyan. And for once, she was actually hungry.

Dessert was served with more wine and by the time they were through, Lindsey felt like she would burst. Next to her, Xander pressed a fist to his mouth, trying to suppress a belch. "Excuse me," he whispered.

"Thank-a you for a fine meal," Mr. Dalessandro said as he wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin.

"Shall we retire to the sitting room?" Yorgi suggested.

"An excellent idea," Mr. Dalessandro agreed.

Xander stood and pulled back Lindsey's chair for her, offering her his arm. She carefully took it, and they walked towards the door, passing Mr. Dalessandro, who stopped them. "May I?" he asked Lindsey, offering his large arm.

Xander dropped his arm to his side and Lindsey took the old man's elbow, all her concentration on preventing her hand from trembling.

"It is not-a often I enjoy the company of someone so beautiful," Mr. Dalessandro complimented her as he slowly followed Yorgi and the others through the large doors to the extravagant living room.

"Oh, Mr. Dalessandro, I highly doubt that," she said, "I imagine you have women throwing themselves at you."

He laughed again. "You are a kind spirit."

"Thank you, sir."

They walked across the room and he took a seat in a large winged chair near the fireplace. It wasn't cold enough outside for a fire, but there was one roaring anyway, casting dancing shadows upon the high walls.

"Now-a, you sit-a here," Mr. Dalessandro said, patting the wide arm of his chair.

Slightly-wide eyed and looking at Yorgi, she sat as he gave her a small nod.

"Mr. Dalessandro, it is my understanding that you are preparing to retire," Yorgi began.

"Ah, word spreads quickly here, no?" Mr. Dalessandro said.

"Indeed," Yorgi agreed. "I am interested in purchasing your chain of nightclubs."

"You want to buy La Bella Notte? I wonder," Mr. Dalessandro said, "why would someone like you be interested in that? It doesn't suit your style."

"I am always interested in branching out," Yorgi said. "Your places of business are well established and profitable. It only makes sense."

Mr. Dalessandro leaned back in his chair, considering Yorgi's words. Yorgi clicked his fingers at Yelena who presented Mr. Dalessandro with a box of cigars. She opened it for him and he chose one, thanking her, and she offered a second to Yorgi. He selected one for himself and held it between his fingers, rolling it back and forth.

Yelena walked to return the box and as she passed Lindsey, slipped a long, black stick into Lindsey's hand, the end of which held a cigarette.

"Allow me," Mr. Dalessandro said, holding out his lit, gold-plated Zippo.

Lindsey lit the end of her smoke in the flame and said a quiet, "Thank you."

Mr. Dalessandro dragged deeply on his cigar, blowing a smoke ring. "What is to be my retirement, then?" he asked. "If I do not have the residual income from my clubs, my accounts will eventually run dry."

"You have amassed a fortune for yourself," Yorgi said in a flattering sort of way. "I have hard time believing you would allow that."

"I wouldn't," Mr. Dalessandro agreed, "But these damn kids of mine, spending every cent-a they get on-a blow and trashy women…" He continued on ruthlessly in Italian and a few of the words Lindsey caught made her choke on her smoke.

"Ah, forgive-a me," he said, patting Lindsey's knee. "I forget-a you speak the language. Forgive-a the ramblings of an old-a man."

Lindsey nodded, trying to stop her coughing. Xander quickly offered her a drink from his water glass he'd carried into the room and she sipped it appreciatively.

"I don't-a know, Yorgi," Mr. Dalessandro said after a moment. "If-a I sell-a you my clubs, I think there would-a be nothing left for-a me in a few years."

Yorgi shifted in his seat, trying to keep his calm. He was not used to being told no.

"I am making a generous offer," Yorgi said, reaching inside his suit jacket and withdrawing an envelope. "I am sure you will agree." He handed the envelope to Mr. Dalessandro, who bit the end of his cigar and took the envelope, opening it and scanning over the check. Lindsey didn't see the exact amount, but saw a lot of zeros.

Mr. Dalessandro held the cigar between his teeth as his brow furrowed. "It is-a generous, as-a you say. But, again, I am-a hesitant to relinquish ownership of my establishments."

Yorgi's eyes were stormy as he flipped the unlit cigar end over end in his hand. In the darkened corner, Lindsey saw Kirill with his hand behind his back, no doubt holding the grip of his pistol. Yorgi would own these clubs one way or another.

"Do you not wish to retire?" Yorgi asked.

"I do," Mr. Dalessandro admitted. "I am an old-a man, Yorgi. Running so many businesses will tire-a you out. You will see one-a day."

A silence fell across the room, each businessman considering the other, neither giving away what they may be thinking.

"Why not invest the money?" Lindsey asked suddenly.

"Invest?" Mr. Dalessandro asked. "Young lady, I never gamble with-a my money."

Yorgi threw her a dark, warning look.

"Not in the stock market," she went on. "You can put the money in several high-interest accounts. Your money makes money while you relax and enjoy your retirement. It must be terribly exhausting managing so many businesses at once."

He thought her words over for a moment. "This is-a interesting proposition."

"It's not a gamble, because your money is safe in an account," she continued, "you could nearly live off the interest alone. No more payroll to worry about, so that cuts down the amount of money you have going out, not to mention upkeep, overhead – in the end, you maintain your standard of living while decreasing the amount of effort required to do so."

Mr. Dalessandro gazed up at Lindsey for a minute, trying to read her. Speaking Italian, he asked her, "Did he put you up to this?"

Lindsey blinked innocently, responding in Italian as well. "No, sir. It's what my grandfather did when he retired." The last part was a lie, but she knew mentioning him again would catch the interest of the old man.

Yorgi watched the exchange between them, a nervous expression flashing across his face again, but he regained composure before the Italian noticed.

"This is a smart one you have here," Mr. Dalessandro said.

Yorgi gave a nod.

Mr. Dalessandro sat deep in thought again for awhile. He seemed near to agreeing to the offer.

Lindsey wondered for a minute whether she should push the issue or if that would be taking it a step too far. When the moments of silence pressed on, she continued, "You deserve a break, Mr. Dalessandro. You have worked hard your whole life. Shouldn't you take time to enjoy it now?"

"Damn-a right, I should-a," Mr. Dalessandro said, with an air of finality. He clapped his large hands together. "Yorgi, I accept your-a offer."

Yorgi smiled widely and stuck his cigar between his teeth, extending a hand to Mr. Dalessandro, who took it and shook it vigorously.

"Emelio," Mr. Dalessandro barked suddenly. "The papers."

The young man with slicked back black hair stepped forward, handing a folded bunch of papers to Mr. Dalessandro, who unfolded them and began scratching away at each one. When he finished, he handed them over to Yorgi. "There-a you go."

The evening then took a decidedly lighter turn as everyone relaxed into light conversation, enjoying the champagne Yorgi provided to celebrate the business venture. As the clock drew close to midnight, Mr. Dalessandro announced that it was getting late. He shook hands with Yorgi once more, and shook the hands of the others in turn, stopping last with Lindsey.

"It was a pleasure to spend-a the evening with-a you," he said.

"It is a rare occasion that I get to meet such a gentleman," Lindsey answered, eager for the night to end. "The pleasure was all mine."

He smiled appreciatively, then bid his farewell to Yorgi and was escorted from the house by Kolya and Viktor. Within a few minutes, they returned.

"He is gone," Kolya confirmed.

"You were brilliant!" Yorgi roared, throwing his arms around Lindsey who couldn't help but wince this time. Yorgi stepped back and beamed at her. "I knew you were the right one to be here tonight."

Lindsey blushed and said nothing.

"I not know you spoke Italian," Yorgi continued.

"Good job," Xander said, standing next to her.

She shrugged.

"Now, we party," Yorgi said to Xander.

"There's no one here," Xander said with a laugh.

"You have phone," Yorgi said, lapsing back into slightly broken English. "Call someone."

Kolya waved Lindsey over. "Now we have own party," he whispered to her. They glanced to make sure Yorgi wasn't paying attention, then slipped out the door and up to Kolya's room.


	18. Potatoes!

The next day, Lindsey was presented with a surprise when she awoke. On her bedside table sat a pink case. She sat up and clicked the locks open. Inside sat a pistol.

She nervously picked it up, examining it. The grip was black and it sported a deep pink body with a chrome barrel, trigger, and hammer. The revolver felt good in her hand as she held it, surprised at its weight. She tucked it back into its case, dressed quickly, slicked her short hair back under a black hat, and headed for the indoor range, taking the pink case with her.

Yelena and Kirill were nose-to-nose in an argument when she walked in. They froze and looked at her for a moment.

"You have until one o'clock," Yelena said, pointing a finger in the gunman's face. "You come to my room at one, no exceptions," she added to Lindsey as she stormed away.

Kirill's expression was unreadable, but Lindsey had the distinct impression that he was debating how much Yorgi would beat him if he shot Yelena.

She spent the morning with Kirill, learning every thing there was to know about her new .38 Special. She was pleased that there wasn't too much recoil on it and found she rather enjoyed shooting the handgun.

"Try this," Kirill said, handing her a sleek, black rifle. It had a ridiculously long magazine hanging from the bottom.

Lindsey took the heavy rifle and shouldered it.

"Squeeze the trigger and hold on," Kirill said.

Lindsey blinked at him, took aim and squeezed. The rifle pounded into her shoulder in rapid secession, until it clicked.

She removed her protective ear coverings. "Kirill," she breathed, "that's fully automatic."

He smiled and took it from her. He dropped the clip and clicked in a fresh one, then handed it back to her. For the first time since she'd met him, Lindsey was enjoying Kirill's company.

She fired off another bunch of rounds, her shoulder aching in the process. "I'd be fine if I could carry one of these."

"Not easy to conceal," Kirill said, lighting a cigarette.

"True," she admitted, reaching out and sliding a cigarette from his pack. They stood in silence for a bit, smoking and thinking about the weapons they held.

"Did you pick this out?" she asked, looking down at the pink and silver revolver.

Kirill wrinkled his long, straight nose. "I would not pick something pink. I choose caliber only." His cell phone rang and he looked at it before answering. "Yelena," he told Lindsey.

Lindsey listened as Yelena's voice screeched through the phone and Kirill yelled back in angry Russian. He hung up the phone and growled at it, "Send Viktor, stupid bitch. I not afraid of him."

"I better go, huh?" Lindsey asked.

Kirill nodded.

Lindsey stuck the revolver back into its case.

"No good there," Kirill said. "Put it here." He turned and showed her how he had his own pistol tucked into the waistband of his jeans at the small of his back.

She uncertainly did the same and found the cold metal of the gun pressing against her skin comforting. She said thanks and ran from the range, heading for Yelena's room.

Yelena was standing there impatiently with the same stylist from the day before. "She fix your hair," was all Yelena said before leaving the room.

Lindsey pouted and sat back down. She wasn't in the mood for this.

"Let's get to it," the stylist said.

Several hours later, Lindsey's black and red dreads were back in place, tight and sleek as they originally were, but much longer this time. From the five-inch-wide ponytail, they fell to her waist. These were much heavier than before.

"I feel like I'm getting a face-lift at the same time," she said.

"It's an awesome look on you," the stylist said.

"Well, you were much faster than the last girl who did them."

"Thanks."

"Thanks for fixing my hair," Lindsey said.

"Not a problem."

When she returned to her room, she found Kolya waiting there.

"There you are," he smiled.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He held up the small plastic bag full of green plant matter.

She smiled appreciatively. "I need that."

They smoked the whole bowl from his bong, and she felt nothing.

"The fuck is this, ditch weed?" she asked.

"Better not be," he answered, with an ornery grin.

"Load it again," she ordered.

"Again?" he asked.

"I wanna get high, goddammit, and I'm going to. Load it again."

Kolya snickered and reloaded the bowl.

"What's so damn funny?" she asked, growing impatient. The only thing worse than not having weed was having weed that didn't work.

They smoked again and still she felt nothing.

"You got ripped off," she said nastily to him. "Where's the stuff we had from last night?"

"In my room. I bought different types this time," he answered, still laughing.

"Different… types?" she asked.

"This creeper," he answered. "Your mind will be blown in about five minutes."

She looked at him in horror. "And you let me smoke two bowls?"

He laughed openly at her.

"You sonuvabitch."

It didn't take the full five minutes for the affects to hit her. The next thing she knew, she could barely stand. She gripped the post of her headboard to hold herself up.

Kolya was rubbing at his face. "I can't feel my face," he said, chuckling to himself.

"Maybe it fell off," she said, crawling across the bed to him.

He looked at her in horror. "No."

She nodded in earnest, trying to suppress her laughter. "It totally did."

Kolya tried to stand up from the bed and fell to the floor, making a terrible, thundering racket. He crawled to the bathroom and, using the black sink to pull himself up, looked in the mirror. "You lie."

She fell sideways on the bed, laughing loudly.

He fell against the doorway of the bathroom, laughing with her.

"This is the best stuff ever," Lindsey said. "Ah, I love you, Kolya."

"But you are getting married," he said. "We cannot be."

"If I wasn't, I would totally be with you," she giggled.

Kolya stood up straight and puffed his chest out. "I am too much man for you to handle."

"Oh, I could handle you," she said playfully, then laughed again.

"You are silly," he answered.

"You would love me," she teased, getting to her knees on the bed.

"I love many women," he boasted.

"You don't love them," she corrected, "you fuck them."

Kolya shrugged. "Tomato, tomahto."

"I say potato, you say potahto, I say tomato, you say tomahto," Lindsey sang.

Kolya clapped a hand over Lindsey's mouth and stared deep into her eyes. She blinked at him. "Your singing is terrible," he said in a serious tone, his shoulders shaking heavily. He held his hand there for a few seconds longer until he couldn't hold it any more and snorted loudly, falling over the bed again and laughing.

She laughed along with him, silently. Her sides ached. No air was coming in or going out. She was stuck in silent laughter, shaking all over. Finally she drew a deep breath and screamed loudly, her laughter filling the room.

"P-Potahtoes!" she laughed.

"What's taters, precious?" Kolya asked in his best Gollum impression.

Lindsey screamed in laughter again. "PO-TA-TOES! Boil 'em, mash 'em, stick 'em in a stew!"

They both tumbled off the bed, laying on the floor on either side of it, laughing like a couple of maniacs. Kolya's phone rang and he army-crawled around the side of the bed. "Shh! S-Shh!" he snickered. "It's Yorgi."

She clapped her hands over her mouth, shoulders heaving with laughter.

"D-Da?" he said into the phone.

Yorgi's voice came through, but Lindsey couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Da," Kolya said in a more serious tone and hung up the phone.

Lindsey laughed loudly again.

"I have to see Yorgi," Kolya said, pushing himself to his feet. He was suddenly sober.

She blinked slowly up at him. "How can you turn it on and off like that?"

Kolya shrugged his shoulders and tried not to laugh again. "I not know."

She laughed some more and he stumbled to the door, then shook his head, ran his fingers through his short, blonde hair, and left.

She pulled herself to her feet and stared around the room. It was smoky and smelled of marijuana. Picking up the lighter Kolya had left behind, she started lighting the many pillar candles she had on the tops of her pieces of furniture, still giggling to herself as she did so.


	19. Blissful Cravings

Stoned out of her mind, Lindsey fell back on her bed, giggling madly. She couldn't remember why she came to the warehouse or even how she'd gotten there. Something bad had happened, but at the moment she couldn't remember what and she didn't want to remember. All she knew was she was hungry and horny. She pouted as she realized she was able to satisfy neither craving. Pulling her cell phone from her pocket, she stared at it for a long moment before she remembered she needed to turn it on. Giggling again, she managed to dial Gohan.

"What's up, babe?" came Gohan's voice over the phone.

"Hopefully you are," she answered.

Gohan sat up straight, slowly setting his book on the coffee table. He'd been lounging on the couch, reading, while most everyone else around him was enjoying a movie. It didn't interest him much. But the perky, playful sound of Lindsey's voice caught his attention. He hadn't heard her sound like that in ages.

"What do you mean? Where are you?" he asked, barely hoping to believe she was actually in a good mood for a change.

"I'm at the warehouse. I'm hungry. Will you bring me some food?"

"Sure, I can do that."

"Bring your sssexy self, too," she giggled.

"I'll be right there," he promised breathily. His heart was pounding and his hands were shaking as he hung up the phone. He stood and announced that he was going to meet his girlfriend, then left before anyone could say a word about it.

Twenty minutes later, Gohan nervously entered Lindsey's room at the warehouse, a bag of hot food in his hand. The lights were off, but a handful of candles glowed from their places on the dresser, their soft light reflecting into the room from the mirror.

Lindsey was laying back on her elbows, one leg stretched towards Gohan and the other bent at the knee, waving slowly side-to-side. She grinned playfully at him. "You come here often?"

"Oh, on occasion," he quipped, tossing the food onto the dresser. "I'm guessing you don't want your food first?"

"Nuh-uh," she said, jumping quickly to her feet. She closed the space between them and jumped into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. She covered his mouth with hers, tangling her fingers into his jet black hair.

Gohan closed his eyes and leaned into the kiss, one arm wrapping around her back to pull her closer to him, the other grabbing her thigh to hold her up. He felt as though he could scream in victory. It had been so long, so very long, since they had embraced like this. Her body felt good in his arms. Her soft curves pressed against him, her hot mouth probing his. She tasted sweet and he sighed deeply, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

He pulled away from her mouth to trail wet kisses down her throat and across her collar bones. She threw her head back, the midnight black and fire engine red dreadlocks swinging. Gohan took a step forward, pressing Lindsey's back against the tall, wide post of the bed, freeing his hands to roam over her body. She pulled at his back, her nails raking his skin through his shirt. Running his hands over her breasts, he lowered his head to run his tongue along the valley between them. She gasped and pulled him closer, grinding her hips against him. He growled deep in his throat as he made his way up to her neck. Grabbing his hair at the base of his skull, she pulled his head back and stared deep into his eyes, both of them breathing hard. She kissed him furiously, dropping her feet back to the floor. She pulled at his shirt, breaking the kiss only long enough to slip it over his head. Her nails ran over the hard muscles of his chest, sending chills down his spine.

She kissed her way slowly down his chest and stomach, kneeling on the floor in front of him. She licked along the waistband of his pants, gently biting at the flat muscles of his lower stomach. She reached up and ran her manicured nails down his lower back, gripping the top of his belt and digging her nails into the soft flesh beneath it. Gohan groaned as he grew harder and his body strained at the restrictive jeans he wore. Lindsey ran her hands down Gohan's thighs and then back up, sliding over the hard bulge. He gasped and closed his eyes at her touch as she grinned devilishly. She slowly unbuttoned his jeans and slid the zipper down, allowing him to break free of the restraint of the strong denim. She tugged his jeans down and breathed heavily over the thin material of his boxers. The sudden rush of her hot breath on him was torturous.

Reaching down and grabbing her by the shoulders, Gohan pulled Lindsey to a standing position and slid her black top off over her head. He cupped the swell of her pale breasts with both hands and covered one with his mouth. She leaned her forehead into his shoulder, a soft moan escaping her lips. "Harder," she whispered.

Smiling inside, Gohan lazily ran his tongue over her, teasing her, deliberately not obeying her command. She was breathing hard, clawing at his back.

"Harder," she whined.

Without warning, he suddenly complied, pulling her harshly into his mouth, his teeth gently scraping over her tight, sensitive skin. She yelped in pleasure and slid her hand inside his boxers, grabbing his hard length and encouraging him to continue. Gohan gave a throaty moan as the cool touch of her hand stroked him. He rocked his hips forward into her stroke, enjoying every tiny sensation. He couldn't take much more of this.

As if reading his mind, Lindsey suddenly pulled away, slipped out of her own jeans, and approached him once again, pushing him backwards towards the bed. He laid back, smiling at her naked figure as she climbed onto the bed over him. Knees on either side of his hips, she lowered her face to his and kissed him again, grinding herself against him. He ripped the boxers from his legs and cast them aside. He arched his hips up towards her, but she pulled away, still teasing.

"Please," he breathed, "I have to have you."

She lowered herself to grind against him again, the heat from her body driving him mad. He was so hard, it ached. He longed to feel her around him.

She slowly kissed his neck, working her way down, running her tongue over his chest. She moved lower, kissing the inside of his thigh, scraping her teeth against his leg so torturously close, her lips barely brushing the tip of him.

He dug his fingers into the bedsheets, arching his back and groaning. She crawled back up, pressing her chest against him, smiling as he writhed beneath her.

"How much do you love me?" she giggled, wiggling her hips against his.

"More than anything," he answered, breathing heavily. "More than anything in the entire world."

His eyes were pleading as he raised his hips once more. And then, suddenly, he felt the blissful wet warmth of her slide over him. He moaned loudly as she gave a sharp gasp.

"Oh, fuck, yes," she whispered, her quiet voice shaking.

She thrust her hips against him, every movement faster and harder than the last. He met her pace as she sat up and arced her back, giving him a full view of her body. He ran his hands over her, bringing them to rest on her hips, pulling her down onto him over and over.

Incoherent thoughts raced in Gohan's mind, threatening to distract from the moment. Why was she. . . What changed. . . When. . . Did it matter. . . He pushed every thought from his mind. He was in ecstasy and nothing was going to ruin this moment. He'd waited for this for so long.

He drove deeper into her, filling her completely, her body clutching at his hard length, velvety soft and fiery hot all at the same time. Her cries of pleasure mingled with his groans as their tension built. Faster and faster, their bodies met until finally she cried, "Gohan. . . I'm. . . I'm. . ."

Feeling himself close as well, he suddenly sat up, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her down onto him in one final, powerful thrust as pure, white-hot bliss rocked both their bodies in a moment that seemed to last for eternity, yet was over too soon.

Their bodies shook against each other as they gasped for air. Gohan leaned the side of his face against her chest as he exhaled a long, satisfied sigh. They stayed that way for several minutes, neither wanting to break the connection between their bodies.

When she finally slid off his lap, a rush of cold air hit him as she lay down beside him sleepily. Still high, satisfied, and all hunger forgotten, she smiled lazily up at her fiancé. He lay down on his left side, his forehead barely touching hers.

"You are amazing," he whispered.

She kissed him softly. "No. You are." And with that, she quickly drifted off to sleep.

He watched her sleep, trying to make sense of what had just happened. She seemed happy, like her old self again. She had been playful and giggly and something in Gohan's heart leaped at the thought of it. Pulling the heavy blankets over both of them, he fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	20. The Letters

The days grew hot and humid as late summer approached. Lindsey and Gohan stayed at the warehouse, Yorgi disapproving of her leaving. She didn't mind much, but the constant eyes she felt on her were starting to drive her nuts. Everywhere she went, whether it was to lunch or the garage, she felt Kirill's eyes following her, even if she couldn't see him. She knew Yorgi had instructed him to do it.

Feeling the farm house was too crowded, Jenny and Sabriena had taken up residence in their old rooms within the warehouse as well. After a couple weeks of constant coming and going by Catie and Leelee, accompanied by their boyfriends of course, Yorgi ordered for them to be given bedrooms as well.

While she enjoyed having her friends close, Lindsey was finding it increasingly difficult to sneak away to hang out with Kolya. He noticed as well and one day pressed a smooth, rounded piece of glass in her hand.

"Hide that," he told her quietly.

She glanced briefly at the black and red blown-glass pipe he'd given her, then quickly tucked it into her bra. It was easy, then, to make it part of her daily routine. She smoked in her bathroom while she got ready in the morning and she smoked before bed at night. Fortunately, Gohan was unable to recognize the smell and passed it off as incense.

Gohan was absolutely enthralled. While she still avoided others, Lindsey no longer pulled away from him and she hadn't had a nightmare in weeks. She held his hand or leaned against him while watching TV and kissed him often. She even occasionally joked with him and flirted; silly things like grabbing him and telling him she liked his butt. They made love at night, always after she'd relaxed in a long, hot bath and she seemed happy and giggly throughout. Things weren't perfect, but they were definitely better. And that was good enough for him.

They were all lounging in the garage one Thursday afternoon, enjoying the air conditioning and avoiding the heat, when the rest of the Z-fighters showed up.

"What's up, dad?" Gohan asked.

"You've got a letter, Lindsey," Goku said, handing it to her. "They asked me to sign for it, so I thought it was probably important."

She took it from him and ran her hands over the textured envelope.

"You all came just to give her a letter?" Gohan asked.

"Well, we haven't seen you guys in a while," Krillin jumped in. "Just thought we'd say hi."

"And I want to see how the wedding planning is coming along!" Chichi smiled.

"What is it, Lins?" Catie asked.

Lindsey shook her head and slit the envelope open with her nail. She unfolded the official piece of parchment, running her eyes over the letter.

"Whatcha got there?" Xander asked as he walked behind the bar, leaning down and pulling a cold bottle out. He used his white shirt to pop the cap and took a long swig.

"I have to testify," she said in a quiet voice.

"Huh?" Gohan asked, turning to face her. "What do you mean?"

"Let me guess," came Yorgi's lazy tone. "They trying to deport me again." He sauntered up to the bar with Yelena by his side.

"No," she sighed. She wished they were – that would have been easy to deal with. A good lawyer and some cash thrown around, and Yorgi would be fine. "I have to testify against the Johnsons."

Yelena took the letter and read over it carefully.

"You'll be okay," Gohan said to her as Toby came running noisily down the metal stairs.

"I got the mail!" he hollered. He stopped and handed a huge stack of envelopes to Yelena, who took them without looking and set them on the bar, still reading Lindsey's letter.

"Here's one for you, X."

Xander took it and laid it on the bar, looking at it suspiciously.

"And you, Gohan."

"Me?" Gohan asked in surprise, taking the piece of mail.

"That will be all," Yorgi said and Toby bowed his head and hurried away. He looked at Gohan, "Why they sending you mail here?"

Gohan shook his head and opened the letter as Yelena tugged at Yorgi's sleeve.

"I'm being called as a witness," Gohan said in confusion. "I don't understand this."

"Yorgi," Yelena said.

"That make no sense," Yorgi replied.

Xander ripped open his own letter and scanned it quickly.

"Yorgi," Yelena said again.

"I'm being called in, too," Xander said as he read his letter.

"YORGI!"

Yorgi jumped and turned to Yelena.

"Yorgi, she's being called to testify in open court," Yelena said.

"WHAT?" he roared, stepping slightly behind Yelena to read over her shoulder.

"What's that mean?" Goku asked.

"It means," Xander said, "that anyone who wants to show up to court, can."

Goku looked puzzled.

Xander sighed, leaning hard on his elbows on the bar, looking up from his letter. "She's going to have to recount what happened to her in front of tons of people. People who have nothing to do with it and are only there to hear the sordid details."

Goku's expression turned dark. "That doesn't seem right."

"No fucking shit, it not right!" Yorgi yelled, his accent heavier than ever. He turned to Yelena, "We do something about this. We do something about this NOW."

"I can't do this," Lindsey said, sitting on a stool and placing her face in her hands.

"It's not that big of a deal," Xander said in a quiet, low voice. "Just ignore the people there."

"Not a big deal?" she shrieked. "Not a big deal?!"

Xander stepped back, holding up his hands. "Whoa, wait! I just meant all you have to do is go up there and say how they slapped you around and kept you locked away. If you're that nervous about being in front of people, sorry!"

Lindsey turned to Yorgi, her eyes pleading. "Don't make me do this," she begged. "Yorgi, I can't."

He looked questioningly to Yelena who shook her head sadly. "We can't influence this, Yorgi. Cops and lawyers you can pay off. Judge Hayes…"

"Hates me," Yorgi finished her sentence in a low voice.

Pressing her lips together and widening her eyes, she tipped her head in a "no shit" sort of way.

"Well, why wouldn't you want everyone to hear what those boys did to you?" Bulma suddenly piped up. "Everyone should hear how horrible they are."

"I don't want to tell _anyone_ about it, much less the whole town!" Lindsey wailed.

"Then don't tell town," Kolya said, stepping towards them. No one had realized he'd entered the garage.

"And how do I avoid doing that?" Lindsey asked.

"We fill court room," Kolya said, looking to his brother. "Anarchy 99. We keep everyone else out. Make no room for them."

A light touched Yorgi's eyes and he nodded once in approval.

"You do have your redeeming moments," Yelena said to him.

Kolya grinned proudly.

"It is settled, then," Yorgi said. "We will all be there to keep anyone else out." He looked to Goku. "You come too."

Goku nodded at once.

"NO!" Lindsey protested, getting to her feet. "Absolutely not!"

"Lindsey, why not?" Jenny asked. "We're your friends. We want to support you and protect you."

Lindsey was shaking her head violently, her dreadlocks whipping her face as she did so. "Yorgi…"

"There is nothing else we can do," he said.

"Why are you being called as a witness?" Yelena asked Xander.

He was still staring at his letter, his arm beginning to shake. "I'm a witness for the defense."

"The defense?" Leelee asked, scrunching her nose. "Why?"

"They're trying to discredit you," Yelena said quietly to Lindsey.

"This is bullshit!" Lindsey spat. She turned to Gohan. "I can't do this."

He looked miserable. "I don't know what else we can do."

"I will not make you all listen to that!" she shouted. "It's bad enough I have to live with the memories, but for my friends and family to have to sit and listen to me recount the whole damn thing? No. Just… NO!"

"Humiliating as it is that you didn't manage to defend yourself against an opponent, you still need to follow through," Vegeta spoke up. "Admitting defeat for a warrior is never easy, but you cannot allow them to get away with this."

"Humiliating?" she spat at him. "You don't have the slightest clue."

Yorgi narrowed his eyes at Vegeta, "You know not of what you speak."

Jenny watched nervously as the two most dangerous men she'd ever known stared each other down. Gohan wondered at Yorgi's words.

"Of course they send these out today," Yelena said. "They know we not have enough time to do anything about it before Monday."

Yorgi huffed, his expression unreadable.

"This trial has been going on for months," Yelena continued. "They're just now getting to the point where they're ready for witnesses."

"But X and I weren't there," Gohan said. "Why would they ask us to testify?"

"That Miles Flynn is a weasel," Yelena said, speaking of the defense attorney. "He's working an angle of some kind."

"You all will not be there," Lindsey said with finality. "I forbid it."

"I will not allow you to speak about this to a room of strangers," Yorgi said. "We will be there."

"Yorgi…"

"Don't argue."

She stared at him for a moment, then ran from the garage with Gohan chasing after her.

"GAH!" Xander roared, throwing his half-drank bottle of beer at the wall where it smashed, sudsy liquid and glass shards running down the wall.

Gohan managed to stop Lindsey half-way to her room. "Lindsey," he said, grabbing her arm.

She tried to push him away. "Gohan, leave me alone."

"Don't do this again," he said and pulled her towards him.

"I don't want to do this," she whined.

"Does Yorgi know?" Gohan asked, leaning closer to her, thinking of what he'd said to Vegeta.

She nodded.

"He knows everything?"

"He figured it out," Lindsey answered.

"Oh, gods, I'm sorry baby."

She shrugged. Looking up at him, she began frantically, "Gohan, I can't get up there and tell everyone what they did. It's bad enough that you and Yorgi know. But, to go through every detail… your family's going to hear that! My friends are going to hear that! I don't want them to live the rest of their lives with all that in their heads! I don't want YOU to have it in your head."

Gohan couldn't argue. He didn't want to hear it, either.

Lindsey was breathing hard and shaking all over. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do."

"Well first of all, you need to calm down."

"How can I calm down?"

"Why don't you go soak in a bath?" he suggested. "You always feel better after that. I'll keep everyone away for a bit."

She nodded and together, they tromped up the stairs to her room.

The hot water and sweet smoke calmed her nerves and relaxed her body, but her mind was still on fire. She sunk miserably into the water, barely keeping her nose above the waterline, her hair draped over the back of the polished black tub. She didn't want them there. At least if she were giving testimony to a room of strangers, she may never have to see them again. But her friends, her future in-laws, her fiancé, her family – she would see all of them every day for the rest of her life. She didn't know if she could handle that, could handle them knowing the truth. Would they pity her? Would they treat her different? Would they avoid her? She still felt dirty and she wondered if they would see her that way, too. She began to wonder how each would react and their faces flashed before her. Gohan. Catie. Jenny. Yorgi. Xander. Trunks. Leelee. Sabriena. Piccolo. Goku and Chichi. Would they still want her as a daughter-in-law? Kolya. Seventeen. Her brothers…

Hot tears rolled from her eyes into the steaming bathwater. This was worse than reliving it in her nightmares. Now everyone would hear every disgusting detail and they would all know. And there was nothing she could do to prevent it.


	21. Testimony

Lindsey sat uncomfortably in the middle of the backseat of the SUV Yelena was driving. Yorgi sat in the front, Xander and Gohan on either side of her in the back. She plucked at the ruffled black blouse she wore and adjusted the charcoal colored pencil skirt. It was early morning and it was already getting hot outside. Missouri weather was almost always extreme – either blazing hot or blistering cold, with few days of anything in between.

Yorgi silently sipped his coffee, staring straight ahead through the windshield. His face held the same calm, unreadable expression it usually did. Despite the heat, he wore a full black suit with a black tie and shirt.

Gohan was fidgety next to her in the seat. He kept pulling at his own tie, shifting in the seat, messing with his hair. He tried to smile at her and it came across more as a grimace of pain.

Xander was leaned over on the armrest of the door, his right fist pressed to his mouth, staring out the window, bouncing his knee.

The silence was overwhelming.

"I need a cigarette," Lindsey said suddenly when she couldn't bare the quiet anymore.

"Not in this car," Yelena responded simply.

"When did you start smoking?" Gohan asked.

Lindsey looked nervously at her hands. "Just when I'm nervous."

They lapsed back into silence for the remainder of the drive.

They finally arrived at the courthouse in Huntsville, about a twenty minute drive from the warehouse. Next to the black SUV's passenger side, Kolya pulled up on his motorcycle and on the opposite side, Viktor and Kirill stepped out of a black Lincoln town car. The parking lot was empty.

Lindsey nearly knocked Gohan over, trying to get passed him to Kirill.

"Give me a smoke," she told him.

He pulled the pack from his pocket and she snatched it from his hand before he could open it. She slid one from the pack as he held out a lit lighter for her, one hand blocking the wind. Shaking so bad she could hardly get it lit, she dragged several times before she was satisfied with it. She leaned back against the side of the SUV, inhaling deeply.

"That's becoming a habit," Xander scolded.

Staring at the sky, she ignored him.

Gohan didn't like the look of his fiancée with a cigarette in her hand or the white streams of smoke issuing from her mouth. But he knew this was neither the time, nor the place.

Yorgi stepped close to her and spoke softly in her ear. "We are here for you. If you get nervous, or scared, you look at me. I here for you."

Kolya yawned and rubbed his eyes, taking Yorgi's mug from him and drinking deeply.

"You could not get your own?" Yorgi asked in an exasperated tone.

"Bike," Kolya said between swigs. He took one last swallow and handed it back.

Yorgi looked at the cup and sighed.

Wanting a clear head for the trial, Lindsey had forced herself to skip her morning smoke and was feeling more agitated than ever. The cigarette wasn't helping much.

"Strange being here when I am not on trial," Yorgi said, smiling to himself.

Yelena rolled her eyes and shook her head. She turned to Lindsey. "You just focus on what the prosecutor asks you. Don't rush, don't get upset. And don't argue with the defense attorney. If you seem irrational it may make the jury think you're not telling the truth."

Lindsey nodded quickly, dragging deeply on the cigarette again as a gold-colored car pulled into the parking lot.

"Who's that?" she asked, her insides turning to ice. "Who… who the fuck is that?"

"The prosecutor," Yelena answered. "Calm down. He's on your side. Come." She took Lindsey by the wrist and marched her across the parking lot to meet the man who was getting out of his car, trying to manage his coffee, papers and brief case.

"Miss Blackwell, I presume?" he asked. He was a short, dark-haired man with a well groomed goatee.

Lindsey nodded.

"Let's go inside and run through some things," he said. She and Yelena followed him as the men in the parking lot started for the front of the courthouse.

A guard sat next to an archway in the lobby, a small table arranged next to it. The prosecutor greeted him and set his briefcase on the table, stepping through the arch, and then collecting his things. Yelena followed and Lindsey did the same, not meeting the eyes of the guard.

Yorgi paused and shook hands with the guard, who smiled and stuck his hands in his pockets. The alarm beeped as Yorgi walked through, but the guard waved him on. Lindsey turned and watched as the others stepped through. The alarm sounded again as Kirill walked through, several lights on the metal-detecting arch flashing. A light by his right ankle, another near his waist, a third by his shoulder.

"Damn thing must be broken," the guard smiled.

The prosecutor looked at Yorgi with distaste and said, "You can wait out here."

Yorgi didn't respond.

Lindsey entered the courtroom through the heavy double doors and looked around. It had high ceilings with nice-looking ceiling fans rotating slowly. The walls bore large oil paintings of stuffy-looking old men. There were rows of benches on either side of her and a boxed-in podium full of chairs to one side. It looked exactly the way she'd seen courtrooms on TV.

"Mark Fusselman," the prosecutor introduced himself, after he'd sat his things on one of the two tables near the front of the courtroom.

She nodded.

"You will sit here," he told her. "You will be sworn in and then take a seat there." He indicated the small, boxed in seat next to where the judge would sit. "Try to speak loudly and clearly and always into the microphone."

She nodded again.

"You don't have to be nervous," he said. "Just focus on me and try to answer everything as thoroughly as possible. Don't rush yourself."

"Will… will they be here?" she asked quietly.

"Yes," he answered. "It's required that they be present."

Lindsey closed her eyes, fighting the urge to run from the courtroom.

"Why are they using Gohan and Xander as witnesses?" she asked.

"I'm not sure at this point," he answered, sifting through some papers. He sat down, pulling out the chair next to him. "What sort of relationship do you have with them?"

"Gohan is my fiancé," she answered. "Xander and I are friends."

Mr. Fusselman seemed lost in thought for a minute. "Hmm."

Lindsey fixed her eyes on him. "That's not very enlightening," she stated boldly. Her impatience was showing.

"Flynn may think he will be able to use them against you somehow," he answered.

She sat in the chair next to him and chewed on her thumbnail, her mind racing.

They spent the better part of an hour discussing how the trial would work. He explained the different terminology they may use, the fact that she may have to return the next day and several days after, and how she should be very careful with her answers when the defense attorney cross-examined her.

At a quarter-till nine, the doors of the courtroom opened and the room began to flood with people. There wasn't a single face in the crowd that she didn't recognize. The Z-Fighters were there and took seats directly behind the table she sat at. Yorgi sat near the middle of the rows of benches behind the defense's table. Lindsey tried to stop herself from smiling, thinking it was force of habit that made him sit on that side of the room. Yelena and Kolya sat to either side of him, along with Kirill, Viktor, and Xander. Every member of Anarchy 99 was there, filling the benches. Lindsey was amazed. She had never seen them all dressed so proper, looking positively conservative.

A tall man entered the courtroom, setting his briefcase on the defense table. He had a long face and perfectly set, thick gray hair. He wore a gray suit and if he hadn't been defending the men who'd tortured her so, Lindsey might have supposed he was handsome, for someone older.

Mr. Fusselman stood and greeted Mr. Flynn, shaking hands with him and engaging in conversation about the ridiculously hot weather. Lindsey felt anger bubble up inside her.

The courtroom doors banged and Lindsey wheeled around in her seat, only to see the two young men walking down the aisle of benches, heading straight for the defense table. A rush of emotions hit Lindsey all at once. Anger, fear, loathing, nervousness, and the urge to vomit. She turned away from them, closing her eyes and inhaling slowly through her nose.

"Is that them?" came a whisper from behind her. She couldn't tell whose voice it was – Goku or Gohan, they sounded so much alike in that soft tone. She nodded.

A bailiff stepped to the front of the courtroom in his tan uniform, a pistol hanging from his hip and a radio strapped to his shoulder. He crossed his hands and held them in front of his belt. Mr. Fusselman hurried back to the table as the bailiff stated loudly, "All rise! The honorable Judge Hayes presiding."

Everyone in the room stood as the judge entered in his long, black robe. The judge sat and nodded to the bailiff who said, "You may be seated."

Lindsey was startled to see the jury in their seats as she sat back down. She hadn't seen them enter.

The bailiff spoke to the judge, introducing the case, and the judge spoke, "Let's hear the first witness."

Mr. Fusselman stood and said, "The prosecution calls Lindsey Blackwell to the stand."

Lindsey's legs felt like jell-o as she stood and walked across the front of the courtroom, her high heels clicking loudly on the tile. She stood next to the seat she had been instructed to take and raised her right hand to the bailiff as he swore her in. She sat nervously, her eyes roaming over the crowd of people in the room.

"Please state your full name," Mr. Fusselman instructed.

She swallowed and answered, "Lindsey Nicole Blackwell."

"And where do you live?"

She gave her address, her eyes fixed upon the man questioning her. 'Focus on him,' she thought.

"Miss Blackwell, it is your sworn statement that you were abducted on the morning of May 12th of this year?"

"It is."

"Can you tell the court where you were when the incident occurred?"

Lindsey swallowed. "I was on my family's property."

"The address you say you live at?"

"Yes."

"What were you doing at the time?"

"I was swimming in the creek."

"Alone?"

"Yes sir."

"Why were you alone?"

"I had gone camping with my friends the night before. I was the first one to wake up. It was warm; I thought I'd go swimming for awhile until they woke up."

"How far was the creek from where you were camping?"

"About a quarter of a mile."

"How long had you been swimming before the attack occurred?"

Lindsey shrugged, "About twenty minutes?"

"Was it then that you were approached by your attackers?"

"Yes."

"And how did they approach you?"

"They were standing on the south bank," she answered. "They yelled at me."

"What was your response?"

"I told them to leave. That they were trespassing and had no business on my land."

"Did you recognize them?"

"Yes."

"Please state for the court who they were."

"Jonah and Cody Johnson."

"Did they leave when you asked them to?"

"No."

"What did they do?"

"They started yelling at me for their father being in jail. They accused me of ruining their family's business."

"And why would they accuse you of such a thing?"

"Because I reported their father to Animal Control for abuse."

"Did you respond to them?"

"I told them their dad wouldn't be in trouble if he hadn't done something illegal."

"What happened next?"

"They ran at me."

"Did you attempt to escape them?"

"Yes," she answered, "but I didn't get far. Running through water isn't the easiest thing to do."

"Please tell the court what happened next."

Lindsey licked her lips and looked at her hands in her lap. "One of them grabbed me by my hair and shoved my face underwater. Held me there. I felt like I was going to drown."

Gohan felt sick. He didn't want to hear it. The fear and pain in his fiancée's voice was breaking his heart. If only he'd been awake, he could have saved her.

"They pulled me back up and started to hit me."

"Where?"

"Anywhere they could reach," she said. "My stomach, my face…"

"Did you fight back?"

"I tried, but I was panicked at that point. Drowning is one of my worst fears."

"What happened next?"

"They held me underwater again," she said. "When they pulled me up a second time, they threw me back against the rock ledge and I smacked my head pretty hard."

"The rock ledge?" the prosecutor pressed.

"There's a crossing at the creek. It's a big sheet of red rock. Big enough to drive a truck over. We use it as a bridge."

"Continue."

Lindsey took a deep, wavering breath. "I was really disoriented. The next thing I knew, Jonah was leaning over me. He pinned my arms over my head."

"What did you do?"

"I tried to scream for help."

"Did anyone hear you?"

"No," she answered.

Catie and Jenny exchanged guilty looks. If they'd been awake, they would have heard her. Sabriena, sitting a couple rows behind them, chewed on her nails, staring at the wall. Tumbler squeezed her hand.

"He shoved a bandana in my mouth," Lindsey continued, "to gag me. Keep me quiet."

There was a long silence in the courtroom.

"What did he do next?"

Lindsey ran her tongue over her lips, then bit them for a second. Her eyes welled with tears.

"Miss Blackwell?"

She glanced nervously at the jury, who stared at her. Every eye in the courtroom was on her. She found Yorgi's eyes and held his gaze for a moment. He tipped his head slightly towards her, as if saying "Go on."

"He raped me," she answered softly.

A cry of outrage filled the courtroom as her friends protested in disbelief, anger, and shock. Gohan's shoulders heaved, as he suppressed the urge to cry. It had happened right there, not far from where he'd been sleeping. His mind raced as he felt the strongest wave of self-loathing he'd ever experienced in his life.

Jenny buried her face in Piccolo's arm, a loud sob escaping her throat, as he stared ahead in horror and disgust. He understood now. He'd caused her to have a flashback when he took that whiskey bottle from her hands. He was furious with himself.

Catie's lips were pressed into a thin, firm line as she began to shake with rage. Trunks put an arm around her and pulled her to him. She stared hard at the back of the bench in front of her, wanting nothing more than to blast it to splinters. She was breathing hard through her nose and began to bounce her knees rapidly, thinking only of ripping the young men at the front of the courtroom to shreds.

"Silence or I will clear this courtroom."

A brief moment of relief washed over Lindsey and she silently prayed her friends would make such a ruckus that the judge would follow through. But silence settled and Judge Hayes said to Mr. Fusselman, "Continue."

"How long did the attack last?" he asked.

"I don't know," she answered sadly, disappointed that the room was still full. "It felt like forever."

"Did he say anything to you?"

"No."

"What happened after he was finished?"

"Cody took his turn."

Gohan didn't know how much more he could stand. He felt sick and lightheaded. Twice? It had happened twice that quickly, right there? He squeezed the bridge of his nose, fighting tears. He felt bile rising in his throat and had to swallow hard.

"You mean he raped you as well?"

"Objection!" Mr. Flynn spoke up for the first time. "Leading the witness."

"Allow me to rephrase," Mr. Fusselman said. "Miss Blackwell, please explain what you mean when you say 'Cody took his turn.'"

"He raped me, too," she said.

"What happened next?"

"I remember being drug up the bank and laying over the back of a four-wheeler," she said. "I passed out."

"Where were you when you regained consciousness?"

"I was in a room. It was small and dark and kind'a damp. The walls were brick, old, crumbly brick."

"Where there any windows? Could you hear anything?"

"No," she said. "There were stairs coming down into the room. Thick, wooden stairs that seemed like they were coming apart at the joints. They led up to a big, wooden door."

"Did you attempt to open the door?'

"Yes, but I couldn't. I pushed up on it, and it moved a couple inches, but I could hear a clanking, like a chain, and I couldn't open it."

"What did you do next?"

A tear spilled from her eye as she said, "I screamed for help. I probably beat on that door for over an hour, hoping someone would hear me. I hit it until my hands bled."

"Did they ever return?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"I guess it was midday."

"What did they do when they returned? Did they say anything?"

Lindsey squeezed her eyes shut. It was so embarrassing. "Jonah said I was going to give him head. He said I'd lose my teeth if I wasn't careful."

"You mean he forced you to perform oral sex, correct?"

"Yes," she answered, her voice faltering.

"Did you comply?"

"Not exactly," she said, and a vicious look touched her eyes for a minute. "I bit him."

Yorgi smiled slightly, a small snort of laughter shook his shoulders.

"And what was Mr. Johnson's reaction?" Mr. Fusselman asked.

"He called me a bitch and hit me. Split my cheek open. Then he sat on the steps for awhile. Cody got mad and left for a minute, then came back with a pair of pliers."

"Pliers?"

"Jonah grabbed my neck, like he was choking me. I couldn't breathe. Cody pulled one of my teeth."

"Which one?"

"One of my upper molars on the left side."

"Have you had the tooth fixed since the incident?"

"No."

"Miss Blackwell, please show the court to confirm this part of your testimony."

Hooking the left corner of her mouth with her finger, Lindsey pulled back on her cheek and turned the side of her face towards the jury, revealing the large gap. She caught Goku's eye as she did so, and his expression was one of disbelief and sorrow. She felt like such an embarrassment to the man who was to become her father-in-law.

"What happened next?"

She was getting sick of that question. "I did as Jonah said."

"Performed oral sex?"

"Yes," she huffed.

"Was there anything unusual about his body? Anything that stood out?"

"He has a scar on his lower left side," she answered.

"Let the record show that the witness' testimony coincides with evidence that Mr. Johnson does indeed have the aforementioned scar from a previous surgical procedure in which he had his appendix removed," Mr. Fusselman said, handing the bailiff a sheet of paper.

"Objection, your honor!" Mr. Flynn protested again. "Violation of doctor-patient confidentiality."

"It is not a violation of confidentiality when the defendant posts a photo of his incision on Facebook and that profile is public," Mr. Fusselman countered.

"Overruled," the judge said.

Mr. Flynn sat back in his seat and glared at Jonah, mouthing the word "moron" at him.

"Did the attacks continue for the entire duration that you were held against your will?"

"Yes. They beat me, never gave me anything to eat or drink, they even cut my hair."

"Miss Blackwell, how long were you kept in that cellar?"

"I was told it was three days," she answered. "It felt like an eternity."

"Three days of repeated rape, starvation, and torture. You must have been terrified."

Lindsey nodded, but said nothing.

"Did they ever speak to you or discuss how long they intended to keep you there?"

Lindsey took a long, shuddering breath. "The last day, they talked about how they were going to get rid of me. Said I wasn't fighting back anymore and that they were getting bored. They discussed how they planned to murder me."

"Objection!" Mr. Flynn shouted again. "Hearsay."

"Your honor," Mr. Fusselman said in an irritated sort of way, "this is direct testimony of a conversation the victim witnessed herself."

"Overruled."

Mr. Flynn was looking more agitated than ever.

"Continue, Miss Blackwell," Mr. Fusselman said, pleased with himself.

"They decided that if they pulled the rest of my teeth, they could dump my body in the hog lot out on the Thornburg's farm near Madison. They said there wouldn't be anything left to find." She paused for a moment, recalling the conversation. "They decided that if they bled me out like a deer, hung me up by my heels, they wouldn't get any blood in the back of their truck. They planned to have a bonfire to burn their clothes. Said nobody would think twice about it."

"Then what did they do?"

"They left to get their deer processing tools," she said, the fear in her voice evident. "You know, a sharp knife, meat hooks? The stuff you use to dress game. They were going to do it that night."

Mr. Fusselman looked slightly pale as he asked her, "What did you do when they left?"

"I tried the door again. I screamed until it felt like my throat was ripping."

"Did anyone hear you?"

"Yes," she breathed, relief washing over her as if it was happening right that moment. "My brother. Patrick. He found me. He saved me."

Gohan whirled around in his seat, scanning the crowd until he saw Patrick sitting a couple rows back. Casual as ever, Patrick smiled at Gohan and flashed him a thumbs-up. Gohan nodded his appreciation. He'd never known who had found her.

"How did he find you?"

"He was riding his horse, looking for me. Axl found me, actually," she said. "His dog," she clarified. "He must have heard me or smelled me or something, cause he started to scratch at the door and bark. Patrick came over and I yelled some more. He told me to get back, so I went to the bottom of the stairs and I heard him fire his gun. The chain broke, he pulled the doors open and I ran to him. He gave me his shirt and helped me on his horse. He called 911 and we rode to the highway, where the ambulance met us."

"And if your brother had not found you?"

"I would be dead."

"No question in your mind about that?"

"None."

"Thank you, Miss Blackwell. No further questions, your honor."

"Mr. Flynn, your witness," the judge said.

The defense attorney sat quietly for a moment, sizing up the girl before him. He stood and walked towards her. He smirked. "Interesting hair style you have."

"They cut my hair," she answered defensively. "This was the best the stylist could do to fix it."

"Did your employer pay for that for you?"

Lindsey narrowed her eyes slightly. "I'm unemployed."

"You do not work for a Mr. Yorgi Ovcharova?"

Lindsey met Yorgi's eyes again and his head gave the slightest jerk to the side.

"He is a friend."

"Objection," Mr. Fusselman stated. "Miss Blackwell's employment status is irrelevant."

"Sustained. Move on, Mr. Flynn," Judge Hayes said.

"Miss Blackwell, you stated that you were camping with some friends the night before the alleged attack. Was this a small gathering or was it open invitation?"

"There were lots of people there."

"By invitation only?"

"Friends were welcome."

"Did anyone monitor who was or was not allowed to attend?"

"Not exactly, but if someone wasn't welcome…"

"So anyone could come and go as they pleased," he cut across her. "By your admission, the Johnsons could have attended your party?"

"No, they know they're not welcome."

"Miss Blackwell, were you drinking that night?"

"No."

"Of course not," Mr. Flynn said with a disbelieving tone. "Let me fast forward a little bit here. So the next morning when you claim the attack happened, you didn't mention my client removing your clothes. Did you forget that part?"

Lindsey shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "No."

"Were you wearing a bathing suit?"

"No."

"So you decided that, in broad daylight, it was acceptable to go skinny dipping?"

"It's private property," she answered, "I didn't think anyone would see me."

"But your friends were there."

"They were asleep."

"And if they had woken? You weren't concerned about that?"

Lindsey licked her lips in an irritated sort of way. "I figured I would hear them coming and have time to dress before they saw me."

"You assumed you would hear your friends approach on foot, yet you didn't hear the four-wheelers you claim the defendants used to abduct you?"

"I suppose."

"So you really weren't concerned about your friends seeing you nude."

Lindsey didn't respond.

"That doesn't seem like appropriate behavior for a modest young woman, considering how close to the Johnson's property line that particular creek is. In fact, you used to meet them there regularly, didn't you?"

Lindsey's eyes narrowed. "When we were children. That was several years ago. We haven't been friends for a long time."

Gohan was even more confused. They'd been her friends once? How could you do that to a person you'd shared your childhood with? He just couldn't wrap his mind around it.

"But the location was well known to all of you, correct?"

"Yes."

"So it isn't a stretch to assume you knew there was the possibility of being seen. In fact, you were hoping to be seen. You invited them to meet you, didn't you?"

"What?" Lindsey cried. "No!"

Mr. Flynn took a piece of paper from the pile on his table and presented it to the bailiff. "Evidence to the contrary," he said to the judge. He held a second copy in his hands and read aloud, "From your personal Facebook page, Miss Blackwell 'Big party at my place tonight. Come and say hi, if you can find me.'"

"That was to my friends," she stated. "My profile isn't public. How did you get that?"

"Everything online is public," he said in a dismissive sort of way. He stared at the paper for effect. "Come and find me," he repeated, twisting the words slightly. "Sounds like an open invitation to me."

"It wasn't!"

He cut across her again, "And there you were, in a place well known to both you and my clients, alone and naked. Doesn't sound like you were attacked at all. You invited them there, engaged in intercourse with them and fled when you were done because you didn't want anyone to know."

"No!" she protested, leaning forward, gripping the edge of the stand.

"You hid on their property to frame them," he continued. "It's well documented that you have an agenda against the Johnson family. You weren't satisfied sending their father to jail, you had to come up with a plan to sabotage the rest of them, didn't you?"

"I did not!" she screamed, tears falling again.

"Objection, your honor," Mr. Fusselman said. "Prior incidences between the Blackwell family and Johnson family have nothing to do with this case."

"It establishes her motive for making false claims against them, your honor," Mr. Flynn stated.

"Overruled."

Lindsey was shaking with fury as the Johnson boys suppressed their laughter.

"You've had problems with their family before, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you were arrested for theft?"

"Those charges were dropped."

"Why were you arrested?"

"I rescued a horse from their stables."

"You mean you stole a horse from their stables."

"Rescued."

"Did you have permission from the owner?"

Lindsey narrowed her eyes and set her jaw. "Skyler asked me to take her."

"You are referring to the eldest Johnson boy, correct?"

"Yes."

"Was he the rightful owner of the horse?"

"No," she answered.

"So you stole the horse from the Johnson stables."

"Someone had to do something! She was dying! She was skin and bones and needed medical attention! They were going to kill her!"

"A criminal record of thievery, numerous accounts of problems between yourself and their family, and yet, you still had no objection to posting an open invitation to your party and then flaunting yourself around naked?"

"Then explain my injuries!" she spat at him. Yelena was looking furious and shaking her head slightly, warning Lindsey to watch what she said.

Mr. Flynn shrugged. "Maybe you like it rough."

"OBJECTION!"

"Withdrawn," he said casually, eyeing her up and down one last time. "No further questions your honor." Mr. Flynn strode back to his table, a cocky smirk on his face.

The judge turned and said, "You may step down."

Shaking with rage, Lindsey found her way back to the chair beside Mr. Fusselman, avoiding the eyes of everyone in the room. She put her elbows on the table and rubbed at her eyes, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"Next witness, Mr. Fusselman," the judge said.

Mr. Fusselman shook his head and stood, saying, "The prosecution calls Patrick Blackwell to the stand."

Patrick's skinny frame moved smoothly across the courtroom and he turned around, raising his right hand to the bailiff.

"Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

"Yup," Patrick drawled. He sat down and leaned back in the chair with his arms behind his head.

"Please state your name for the court," Mr. Fusselman began.

"Patrick Lee Blackwell."

"Mr. Blackwell, on the morning your sister went missing, where were you?"

"Up at the house."

"You didn't attend the camp-out?"

"Nah, Linnie runs with a different crowd than I do. They don't like me much. Think I'm a redneck or summat like that." He winked at his sister, who gave him a "please shut up" look.

"What was your reaction when she was found missing?"

"I wasn't too fussed at first. Figured she went ridin' or for a hike or sumthin. There's a lotta land out there you can lose yerself on."

"And when did you become concerned?"

"The next mornin'. She always calls or get ahold o' someone iffin' she's fixin' on being gone long. When nobody heard from her, I reckoned she was hurt somewhere. She's clumsy as sin. Wouldn't be the first time she snapped a bone."

Lindsey felt her face burning.

"And when did you find her?"

"A couple days later. Took my dog, my rifle, and my horse, and went out a-lookin'. I figured she had to've been off the property since we didn't find her anywhere onnit. An' I was right. Axl took out like a bat outta hell a short ways after we crossed the crick."

"Crick?" Mr. Fusselman asked, confused.

"The crick. C-r-e-e-k. Crick."

"The creek," Mr. Fusselman clarified.

Patrick lowered his arms and leaned forward on his knees with his elbows. "That's what I said, innit?"

"Please continue, Mr. Blackwell."

"So I followed my dog and lo and behold, thar he was a-scratchin' at that dang ol' cellar door an' I heard my sister hollerin', so I says her to git back and I shot the lock off. Thar she was, nekkid as the day she's born, cryin' and bleedin' all over the place. So's I gave her ma shirt and threw her on the horse and called 911."

"Whose property was the cellar located on?"

"Theirs." Patrick answered, nodding towards the Johnsons.

"Whose?"

"The Johnson's o' course," Patrick answered, like Mr. Fusselman was stupid.

Lindsey felt like she could die. Patrick was laying the redneck on exceptionally thick and she knew he was getting a kick out of it. He'd do anything to mess with someone he considered a city-slicker. He was having a hard time keeping the amusement off his face. Even in a situation as serious as this, he was still playing a trick.

"Did you see the defendants anywhere on the property?"

"Matter o' fact I did," Patrick answered, leaning back in the chair again. He actually tipped it back this time.

'You're not helping!' Lindsey's mind screamed.

"Where?"

"I saw their truck at the top o' the hill," he replied, chewing at his thumb. "They were a-headin' back to their place. Didn't think much o' it at the time, 'cept I wondered how'n hell they didn't hear her hollerin'."

"Thank you, Mr. Blackwell. No further questions."

"Mr. Flynn, your witness," Judge Hayes said.

"No questions at this time, your honor."

The judge turned to Patrick, "You may step down."

Patrick strolled from the stand, looking pleased with himself and winked at his sister as he passed. She bowed her head and shook it in disbelief. He'd saved her life, but now she felt like she wanted to kill him.


	22. It was a Joke

"Your next witness, Mr. Fusselman," Judge Hayes started.

"No more witnesses at this time, your honor."

"Mr. Flynn, call your first witness."

"The defense calls Alexander Cage to the stand," Mr. Flynn said as he stood and adjusted his suit jacket.

With his usual smooth, cat-like movement, Xander slid to his feet and walked to the front of the courtroom. After swearing in, he sat down, folded his hands in his lap, leaned back and fixed Mr. Flynn with a stern stare.

"State your full name for the court."

"Alexander Dominic Cage," he answered in his deep voice.

"Mr. Cage, what is the nature of your relationship with Miss Blackwell?"

"She's a friend."

"Has she always been just your friend?"

"She used to be my girlfriend."

"Uh-huh. How long did the two of you date?"

"About two years."

"Two years is a long time," Mr. Flynn said. "I suppose you got to know her pretty well during that time?"

"You could say that."

"How would you describe Miss Blackwell?"

Xander continued to stare at Mr. Flynn, keeping his expression stern but his mind racing, trying to figure out the angle the attorney was working.

"She's a good girl. She's got a big heart and she lets it carry her away at times. She'd do anything to help you out."

"How did she conduct herself in the bedroom?"

"Cranky. She's impossible to wake up."

Gohan couldn't help but snicker slightly. He knew that was true.

"Let me rephrase. Mr. Cage, was she ever violent with you?"

"She beat me with a pillow, once, when I woke her up to help me find my cell phone." Xander could hardly keep the amusement out of his voice. "And she can be downright vicious when she's hungry."

Mr. Flynn was getting agitated again. "When you were engaged in sexual intercourse with Miss Blackwell, Mr. Cage, how was her demeanor?"

Xander looked at his hands in his lap and ran his tongue between his teeth and bottom lip. His expression was serious when he looked up again. "She was shy. She wouldn't even let me turn the lights on."

"When you say she was shy, do you mean she was playing hard to get?"

"No."

"What exactly do you mean, Mr. Cage?"

"She was unsure of herself. She liked me in control." Xander cocked his head to the side, "I was her first."

"So she enjoyed being dominated?"

"I didn't dominate her," Xander retorted. "Your honor, is this appropriate?" He turned in his seat to face the judge.

"The alleged victim's sexual history is pertinent to the case, your honor," Mr. Flynn stated.

The judge nodded to Mr. Flynn without speaking to Xander.

"Did Miss Blackwell ever ask you to role-play with her? Perhaps tie her up or restrain her in any way?"

Xander narrowed his eyes. "No. Hell no. We didn't do anything like that."

"Was she ever aggressive with you?"

"Are you stupid, man? I just told you how shy she was."

Mr. Flynn ignored the insult. "So she never bit you, scratched you?"

Xander smirked. "If a girl ain't scratchin' your back, you ain't doin' her right."

"So she was aggressive?"

"I wouldn't exactly call that aggressive," Xander said.

"What would you call it, Mr. Cage?"

"Enthusiastic."

Gohan's dislike for Xander was bubbling up inside his chest again.

"So you deny that you ever engaged in any type of bondage with the alleged victim?"

"I said we didn't do anything like that."

"May I remind you, Mr. Cage, that you are under oath?"

"I'm aware of that."

"Explain, then, Mr. Cage, the incident where you escorted Miss Blackwell to the Emergency room wherein she had to have medical assistance with a piece of bondage equipment."

Xander sat there for a moment, his head reeling. What was he… oh god. Realization dawned on his face. It had been funny at the time, but now…

"Objection, your honor," Mr. Fusselman protested. "Patient confidentiality."

Mr. Flynn fixed the prosecutor with a haughty smirk. "Facebook never fails us, does it, Mr. Fusselman?" and he pulled a sheet of paper from his notes and handed it to the bailiff, who in turn passed it to the judge.

"Answer the question, Mr. Cage," Judge Hayes said.

Xander shook his head, staring at the table Lindsey was sitting at, without looking at her. "It was a joke."

"Mr. Cage, did Miss Blackwell require medical assistance after an accident with a piece of bondage equipment?"

Gohan was feeling sick again. Bondage? What in the hell was going on here?

Jenny leaned forward in her seat, grabbing the back of the bench in front of her. No! They were twisting the story. Sabriena sat bolt upright, her mouth gaping like a fish out of water.

Xander licked his teeth and said, "Kolya bought a ball-gag as a joke after he went to the Olde Un Theatre in Columbia. He brought back a bunch of stuff as prank gifts. He told Lindsey to try it because she talks too much. She didn't realize how hard the rubber on it was. It got stuck behind her front teeth."

"How many people were present for this incident?"

"I dunno, man, it was a Christmas party. There was a bunch of people there."

"Men and women?"

"Yeah."

"So Miss Blackwell had no problem demonstrating the use of a piece of bondage equipment in the presence of several men? It was funny to her?"

Xander pressed his lips together in a straight line and drew a long breath through his nose.

"Mr. Cage?"

"This is bullshit," Xander spat. "You're taking it out of context."

"Watch your language, Mr. Cage, or I'll hold you in contempt of court," Judge Hayes warned.

"Did she think demonstrating a piece of sex equipment in front of a group of men was funny?"

"Yes, because it was a…"

"No further questions, your honor," Mr. Flynn said, pleased with himself.

"IT WAS A JOKE," Xander roared, getting to his feet.

"You may step down, Mr. Cage," Judge Hayes said.

"Your honor," Xander said in a pleading sort of way without sounding pathetic like most people would. "Honestly, it…"

"STEP DOWN, Mr. Cage," the judge said with finality in his voice.

Xander huffed and stormed off the podium, through the swinging half-doors and out of the courtroom.

Lindsey had slunk so low in her seat, she could barely see over the table. This was a million times worse than she thought it would be. She understood now why Xander and Gohan were being called as witnesses. The defense was trying to portray her as a masochistic whore.

"Next witness," the judge called.

"The defense calls Son Gohan to the stand."

Gohan was so shook up; it took him a moment to realize they meant him. He got to his feet and made his way to the stand.

"State your full name for the court."

"Son Gohan," he answered.

"No middle name?"

"Japanese don't have middle names," Gohan answered.

"Mr. Son, what is the nature of your relationship with Miss Blackwell?"

"She's my fiancée."

"And how long have you known her?"

"Almost a year."

"Mr. Son, how would you describe Miss Blackwell's behavior since the alleged assault?"

Gohan considered for a moment. "Scared. She's jumpy. She's withdrawn a lot of the time."

"Would you say she acts guilty?"

"Not really. I know she feels bad about what happened."

"What has she told you about that day?" Mr. Flynn asked.

"She hasn't said anything, really. We don't talk about it."

"But you're her fiancé, Mr. Son. Surely, she would confide in you if she didn't have anything to hide?"

"She's not hiding anything," Gohan said, anger rising in his voice. "It was devastating to her and to me. We try not to dwell on it."

"You don't think it's suspicious that she never discusses it?"

"No. It was probably the most traumatic thing we've ever gone though. Would you want to relive that?"

"So she just acts like nothing happened?"

"The opposite," Gohan said. "She's nothing like her old self. She used to be happy and outgoing. Now, she rarely even smiles. A perfect stranger could see something tragic has happened to her."

"Perhaps the guilt of betraying you is eating at her."

Gohan felt like hitting the defense attorney with a Kamehameha wave. "She isn't guilty of anything."

"How can you be sure if you haven't spoken to her about it?"

"I just know!" Gohan shouted.

"You just know," Mr. Flynn said in a mocking tone. "Mr. Son, how does Miss Blackwell spend her time? Has she changed her habits at all?"

"She spends most of her time with me," Gohan answered.

"Just you?"

"I know she hangs out with Kolya a lot," Gohan said absently.

"You mean Nikolai Ovcharova, correct?"

"If that's his full name, yes," Gohan said. "I only know him as Kolya."

Kolya and Yorgi exchanged a worried glance. Where was he going with this? That was twice now that the defense attorney had tried to pull them into the conversation, both times using their full names.

Mr. Flynn nodded, a light in his eyes. He returned to his table and looked through some papers for a moment as silence filled the courtroom, every person wondering what new information may be revealed by this admission.

"Your honor, the defense requests a continuance at this time," Mr. Flynn stated.

"Mr. Flynn, there have been many continuances throughout the duration of this trial," Judge Hayes sighed.

"New information has just been brought to my attention. Information I believe pertinent to the trial."

"Any objections to this motion, Mr. Fusselman?" the judge asked.

"No, your honor."

The judge looked at his desk, then folded his hands atop it, and leaned forward. "Continuance granted. We shall reconvene on September sixteenth at nine a.m. Court is now adjourned."

Bewildered, Gohan stood up and walked to the prosecutor's table. "What's going on?"

Mr. Fusselman shook his head. "I don't know what Flynn is up to." He turned to Lindsey. "You're free to go."

Lindsey looked up at Gohan from her sunken position in her chair. He looked apologetic and she returned the same. She stood and headed for the aisle between the rows of benches. Unfortunately, she came dangerously close to Jonah as he was standing and talking to Mr. Flynn.

"I was the best you ever had," he hissed at her in a low voice.

She froze, staring at him in fear.

"Knock it off," Mr. Flynn warned his client.

Gohan, who hadn't heard Jonah, pulled on her arm. She fell into step beside him as Yorgi stepped next to her on her right side. Kirill and Viktor marched out in front of them, with Kolya bringing up the rear, looking guilty and confused.

As they exited the courthouse, they were accosted by a swarm of reporters, who flashed cameras at them and shouted questions, shoving microphones their direction.

"Lindsey! Lindsey! Is it true you work for the infamous group known as Anarchy 99?"

"Did you make up the accusations to frame the Johnsons?"

"Are you afraid you may be arrested on grounds of perjury?"

Lindsey kept her eyes on the pavement as she took extra long steps to keep up with the men escorting her to the car. She slid onto the leather seat and leaned her head back in the blissful quiet as Gohan sat next to her.

She felt a bump against her right leg and looked up to see Xander sitting beside her.

Yorgi and Yelena slid into the front seats and Yelena started the SUV.

No one spoke a word the entire way home.


	23. An Impromptu Speech

Lindsey entered the warehouse through the front doors and marched through the parlour to the formal sitting room. She threw herself into one of the high-backed armchairs and stared at the empty fireplace, which she thought looked cold and empty without its wintertime blaze. She suddenly found herself longing for winter – for the sky to turn gray and all color to leave the world for a while. It would be a better reflection of the way she felt inside than these hot, brightly lit days full of green trees and blossoming flowers. She shook her head and tried to steel herself for the borage of questions she knew was coming.

Xander got to her first. She didn't look at him. She didn't want to see anyone. He knelt in front of her, his elbows on the arms of the chair. His brown eyes were soft and hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in the quietest voice she'd ever heard him use.

She shook her head, chewing on her thumbnail, still staring into the fireplace.

Xander squeezed his eyes shut, wincing in pain. His shoulders were trembling with the rage and pain he felt. It hurt her to see him so upset. She forced herself to overcome the need to avoid touching him and took his face in her hands. He opened his eyes, surprised at her cool touch.

"It's not your fault," she whispered earnestly. She swallowed hard. She hadn't been prepared to see the tears welling up in his warm, chocolate-colored eyes. She shook her head sadly. "You couldn't have saved me."

"You should have told me," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I could have…" Xander squeezed his eyes shut again, fighting the burning sensation in his eyes. After a moment, he opened his eyes again, and they narrowed at something behind the chair.

"You," Xander growled, getting to his feet.

Lindsey looked up at him, bewildered, as Gohan's voice asked, "Me?"

"You were supposed to protect her, Gohan!" Xander bellowed, striding across the fancy carpet of the living room. His voice echoed off the high ceilings as everyone froze to watch. His fists were clenched at his sides, his arms shaking with fury.

"I know that," Gohan said. "I feel bad enough as it is."

"Not as bad as you're gonna feel," Xander said in a strained voice and swung at Gohan.

Having been attacked by Xander before, Gohan swiftly side-stepped and Xander missed. "I don't want to fight you," Gohan said.

"Pussy," Xander spat at him. "I trusted you. SHE trusted you. And when she needed you the most, you were nowhere to be found! And you let THIS happen?"

"You were there, same as I was!" Gohan threw back at Xander. "You could have saved her just as easily as I could."

"Oh, so now it's my fault?" Xander asked, astonished. "You're a real piece of work, man."

"Stop it!" Lindsey cried, jumping to her feet.

Xander lunged towards Gohan again, as Gohan moved out of reach once more.

"Fight me, you coward!" Xander commanded.

Gohan raised his fists, taking a step back with his right leg. "Your choice. I've been wanting to kick your ass for awhile now."

The two men flew at each other, grabbing each other by the shoulders, each trying to overpower the other. Gohan was quickly gaining the upper hand.

"Stop it! STOP IT!" Lindsey screamed and ran to them, trying to break them apart.

"Get back, Lindsey," Gohan growled.

Then she did something she'd never done before. She hit him. Not nearly hard enough for it to even sting, but it shocked him so badly, he released his grip on Xander. Realizing his opportunity, Xander struck Gohan in the jaw, sending him sprawling backwards.

"Goddammit, Xander!" she screamed and slapped him square in the face. She kneeled next to Gohan, who quickly stood and locked eyes with Xander.

"I didn't mean for this to happen!" Gohan shouted. "And nothing you can do or say to me is going to make me feel any worse! You don't know what this is like! Hearing her scream at night, crying out for help, knowing I should have been there!"

"Gohan, stop!" Lindsey begged. As if everyone knowing what happened wasn't bad enough, now they knew about her nightmares, too? Was nothing private anymore?

"She – trusted - you," Xander growled, emphasizing each word.

"I still do!" she yelled. "I trust you both! And I care about you both! What happened is not the fault of either of you." She was breathing hard, standing between the two young men, her knees shaking. "Today was horrible. I have never been so humiliated in my life! Now, not only do I have to live with these memories, but now everyone," she gestured to the large group of friends and family standing in the room, "EVERYONE knows. Do you know how disgusting I feel? How dirty? I feel like I could just," she stopped and made harsh scrubbing motions on her arm, "scrub my skin right off, and I'd still be dirty! I'm scared. I'm scared of everyone. Of all of you. And it's not your fault. Not one of you is guilty of anything, yet I treat each and everyone of you like you're going to hurt me at any given moment. You all don't deserve that. I know it! And I can't stop myself. I made the mistake of going to the creek that day. I made the mistake of provoking them. If anyone is to blame, it's me. It's my fault."

No one said a word as they all watched her, standing in the middle of the grand room, spilling her heart out. She didn't know where the words were coming from. She never wanted to say anything to any of them about it, and now she couldn't make herself shut up. Months of loneliness and anguish were pouring from her.

"I know what you're all thinking, because I'd think the same thing if the situation was different. That you could have saved me, if you were there. You WERE there! And that didn't change a thing. None of you could have stopped it. So don't blame yourselves, and especially do not blame each other!" she glared harshly at both Gohan and Xander. "Blame does nothing but cause hurt and anger."

Jenny was clutching Piccolo's arm, silent tears streaming down her face as she listened to her friend. She wanted so badly to take the pain from her, even if for a moment, just so she could have her friend back again.

"I never wanted any of you to know this. But now you all know. I just… I didn't… Goddammit, I love you! I love each and every one of you. You guys are my family. Weird and fucked up as we may be, that's what we are," she said as a couple of the guys laughed or nodded. "And I never, NEVER, wanted to cause you guys any pain. And if I did, I am truly, sincerely sorry for that. I don't know if I'll ever be right again. I don't know how to fix me. Just… give me a minute to figure it out." She scanned the room, and her eyes fell upon Yorgi who was standing behind her, leaning on the mantel. He nodded his approval at her words. She threw her shoulders back, elongated her neck, standing exactly the way Yelena had taught her. "Now," she said as she smoothed her skirt and gave her dreads a shake, "I am going up to my room rest, feel sorry for myself, and figure out how the fuck I'm supposed to redeem myself to themmmm." She pointed at Goku and Chichi. "And I expect someone to bring me a fifth of vodka and a pack of cigarettes." She strode across the room, heading for the doors that led into the rest of the house. "And not the cheap shit, either!" She paused, turned back and said, "And as for you two," she pointed to Gohan and Xander, "knock the shit off. I fuckin' mean it." And she swished from the room, allowing the heavy, gilded door to slam behind her.

Lindsey sunk back into the plush, four-poster bed, glad to be rid of the formal clothes she'd worn for most of the morning. Why couldn't tank tops and stretchy pants be considered formal? People would be a lot happier if they were.

She wasn't sure how she was supposed to be feeling. Overwhelmed was the only word for it. Had she really just given a speech to all of them? She felt like an ass. She was shaking all over. It was like every nerve in her body had been fried.

There was a soft knock at the door and she spoke the only Russian word she knew, "Da?"

"Hey cowgirl," came a soft voice.

"Cat," she smiled as she sat up.

Catie stood there, shifting from one foot to the other, looking absolutely miserable and unsure of what to say. Lindsey got to her feet and the two girls stared at each other for a minute, until Lindsey threw herself into Catie's arms. Catie squeezed her friend tightly as they both broke down in sobs.

"I'm so sorry!" Catie cried, clutching Lindsey's back.

"It's not your fault," Lindsey answered.

"I – I was right there!"

"Catie!" Lindsey said, jerking away and looking Catie sternly in the eye. "NO – ONE could have saved me."

Catie shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. "I wish you'd told me."

"I didn't want to upset you," Lindsey said. "I'm sorry, Catie."

Catie sniffled and whacked Lindsey's arm. "You boob. Am I your friend or not?"

Lindsey blinked harshly at Catie's words. "Of course you're my friend, Cat. You're my BEST friend."

"Then why wouldn't you tell me about this?"

"I'm sorry," Lindsey said sadly.

There was another knock at the door and Sophie opened it. "Vodka and cigarettes," she crooned. She gave Lindsey a sad smile as she handed over the items, then left, closing the door behind her.

"Ya see that?" Lindsey asked, pointing at the closed door. "Did you see the pity on her face? THAT is why I didn't want to tell anyone. Now everyone's gonna treat me like I'm some damn pitiful, poor, broken doll that should be kept on the shelf."

Lindsey cracked open the bottle and took a good, long swig, the liquor burning her throat and calming her nerves slightly.

"Gimme that," Catie said, swiping the bottle and taking a swig herself. "Shit, that's harsh."

"It's smooooooth," Lindsey smiled. She lit a cigarette and flopped down on the bed.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," Catie said.

"Life is shit," Lindsey said around the cigarette hanging from her lips, "I should smoke two at once."

They lay on the bed on their sides, taking turns drinking the vodka, neither saying anything, each lost in their own thoughts.

A watery giggle escaped from Catie's throat. "Did you really get a ball-gag stuck behind your teeth?"

Lindsey groaned and buried her face in the bed.


	24. Family

Gohan and Xander continued to glare at each other for a long time after Lindsey had left. The rest of the room was still silent, watching them as they stared each other down. Finally Sabriena rolled her eyes and shook her head, stating loudly, "Well, I'm fuckin' starving. C'mon, Tumbler, let's go make some lunch."

"I don't know how to cook!" he protested. She hooked arms with him and marched across the room and through the dining room, rambling off a menu.

Everyone seemed to break from their trance and filter out of the room then.

Xander ran a hand over his face, then pointed it at Gohan, his arm shaking. With a shake of his head, he stormed passed Gohan, banging into his shoulder, and disappeared in the crowd.

"Oh Gohan!" Chichi sobbed, running to her son and hugging him.

"Mom, I'm okay. Xander's just… he's just him. He's protective."

"I'm not worried about that," Chichi said dismissively. "I'm worried about you and Lindsey!"

"Why didn't you tell us it was this bad?" Krillin asked as the other Z-Fighters gathered near.

"We didn't want to worry anyone," Gohan said.

"Well that's just silly," Bulma scolded.

Goku had a serious expression on his face. "Gohan, you're my son. You should always be able to tell me everything."

"I know, dad, but… I didn't know what to do." Gohan sighed.

"I'd like to get my hands on those guys," Yamcha said, making a fist.

"Me too," Trunks added. "I just don't get it. She didn't even tell Catie!"

"We told no one," Gohan said. "You see the reactions it's causing already. Give it a couple days to sink in and see how everyone's behaving. This house is going to go bonkers. And NOT in a good way."

Trunks laughed nervously. "As if it isn't already?"

"It's not so bad," Leelee said, hanging on Seventeen's arm. "Really, I think it's nice. Look at it!" She gestured to the elegantly decorated room. "It may look like a warehouse on the outside, but in here, it's like a castle."

"I could get used to it," Eighteen said appreciatively, looking around.

"You would like something like this," Krillin said to her, thinking of his wife's expensive tastes.

"Not that you would know anything about it," she responded.

Krillin hung his head and sighed.

"It's too dark for me," Bulma said thoughtfully. "I feel like Dracula is going to jump out at any minute and drink my blood."

"Nah, he wouldn't want you," Yamcha teased. "You're too bitter."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" she yelled at him.

Yamcha cowered, trying not to laugh. Even after all these years, he could still get under her skin.

"Maybe we should think about going back to Japan," Piccolo said to Jenny.

"What?" she shrieked. "Why?"

"I'm not sure this is the best environment for you right now," Piccolo said.

Jenny rested her hands over her rather large belly as the baby kicked and squirmed. "This is my home," she said. "No one here is going to hurt me."

"I'm worried about you being stressed," Piccolo countered. "It's not good for you."

Jenny fixed the tall Namek with a warm, understanding gaze. "We'll be fine."

"So is this why she's been drinking?" Goku asked.

Gohan heaved a sigh and nodded as Yelena's cold, slender fingers closed on his bicep. "Yorgi wants to speak with you. Now."

Gohan followed Yelena through the dining room and into the kitchen, where they found Sabriena sitting on one of the prep tables, her legs around Tumbler, the two of them so tightly entwined, it was hard to tell whose limbs belonged to whom.

Yorgi entered behind Gohan and Yelena and cleared his throat loudly. "Leave us."

Sabriena and Tumbler broke apart and Gohan blushed furiously. Tumbler walked quickly from the room while Sabriena sighed, snatched up the bottle of spray whip cream with an, "I'll take that." She tilted her head back, spraying the frosty topping in her mouth and sashayed out of the room.

Yorgi gave Yelena a stern look and she left, nearly smacking into Xander as he entered.

"What's up, Yorgi?" Xander asked, leaning against one of the gleaming granite countertops. He threw Gohan a filthy look.

Gohan rolled his eyes. "If you have something to say, say it."

"I got plenty to say to you, you punk-ass bitch," Xander said, pushing off the counter and facing Gohan again.

"Let's hear it then!"

Yorgi bellowed a single word in Russian and Xander and Gohan froze.

Yorgi stared at each of them in turn for a good long moment before he spoke again, his voice deathly calm. "I will no longer tolerate his behavior in my home."

Gohan and Xander exchanged puzzled looks. It wasn't uncommon for fights to break out in the warehouse. Sometimes the guys even organized fight nights, just to blow off steam.

"People fight here all the time," Xander protested. He grabbed an apple from the basket on the counter behind him and crunched into it. He moved the slice to the inside of his cheek, "Whath's the big deal?"

"You acting like children," Yorgi growled. "You are not helping."

Gohan felt ashamed. His bickering with Xander wasn't going to fix anything and he knew it. He couldn't help the fact that he still wanted to kick his ass, though.

Silence fell over the kitchen as Yorgi stood still as a statue, thinking. Finally he spoke, "I could not have said it better myself. We are family. Family takes care of one another."

"Yorgi…" Xander began to protest.

"X, you have long history with her," Yorgi said. "But your anger should not be directed at him." He nodded at Gohan.

"Do you understand how pissed off I am?" Xander yelled. "You heard what they did to her! We need to do something!"

"I heard," Yorgi said. "And I have known for some time now."

"You…you knew? She told YOU?"

"No. She did not have to. Five minutes alone, and I could tell," Yorgi said, keeping his same, calm tone. "I know each of you better than you think."

Xander was shaking again. He'd never felt so angry in his whole life.

"Something will be done," Yorgi said in a low voice. "You no need to worry about that."

Xander narrowed his eyes at Yorgi. "You mean Kirill…"

"I mean nothing," Yorgi cut him off. He popped his neck and squared his shoulders. "Now, you two will stop this. No more. You stress her out, make her hurt more. Unforgivable. This family will not be torn apart."

Gohan looked up at Yorgi. Family? Was he including Gohan when he said that?

"Yes, you too," Yorgi said as if reading Gohan's mind. "You two are brothers now. And as such, it is your responsibility to protect this family by any means necessary."

Xander scowled, but didn't argue.

"Now go," Yorgi instructed them. "Calm down. Tomorrow will be better."

Gohan left the kitchen then, feeling like shit and wondering at Yorgi's words about family. He had hardly done anything to be accepted by the infamous group and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be.

"Yorgi," Xander said as Yorgi went to leave.

Yorgi stopped and listened.

"How do I… I'm so fucking pissed off…"

"You must decide that for yourself," Yorgi answered simply.

"Come on, man," Xander begged, "I never ask for advice. You gotta give me something better than that."

Yorgi kept his back to Xander as he asked, "What part makes you so mad?"

"That no one was there to help her," Xander said, his voice low.

Yorgi turned to face him. "Then help her now."

"Yorgi, you know we're going to lose her if we don't do something now."

"Being overbearing will get us nowhere," Yorgi replied. "We must be patient."

"You know that's not exactly our forte."

A small smile played across Yorgi's lips. "True."

"Why was that lawyer so concerned about if she worked for you?" Xander asked.

"I do not know. It could be number of reasons. He was very interested when Kolya got mentioned."

"What does Kolya have to do with anything?"

Yorgi shook his head slowly. "He ask for continuance after my brother's name was spoken."

Xander furrowed his brows, trying to make sense of it.

Yorgi stepped closer, lowering his voice. "I trust my brother, but we both know how he can be. I want you to watch them. Make sure they do not do anything stupid. And keep quiet about it."

Xander's warm brown eyes met Yorgi's cool hazel ones. "You want me to spy on Lindsey and Kolya?"

"Can you do that for me?"

Xander nodded, looking at the floor, crossing his arms over his chest.

Yorgi clapped him on the shoulder a couple times. "Let me know what you find, my friend."


	25. I has a Tipsy

It was mid-afternoon when Catie stumbled into her new bedroom, giggling to herself. Trunks was lounging on the bed, half-heartedly watching TV.

"Where've you been?" he asked her.

"With Lindsey," she smiled and flopped down on top of him.

"Oof!" he cried.

"Oh, shut up," she teased and kissed him.

He kissed her back, trying not to laugh. He ran his fingers through her silky golden brown hair. She pulled away from him and grinned.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked.

"Mebbe just a little," Catie answered, holding her hand up and measuring about an inch between her index finger and thumb, squinting at him. "I has a tipsy."

"Oh good lord," Trunks sighed, smiling at her.

"You know how I get when I'm drinking," Catie said, grinding her hips against him.

"Now? It's the middle of the day!"

"So?" she asked. "There's no windows here. It's just as dark as if it was night."

"My parents are still here," Trunks protested.

"They won't find us," Catie said seductively as she pulled at his black shirt.

"Catie…" Trunks started to protest as she kissed the bare skin of his lower stomach. He took a deep, shuddering breath as she ran her hands up under his shirt, her cool hands brushing the warm muscles of his chest.

"Catie, we can't… Not right now."

"Awww, please?" she purred as she ran her tongue along the chiseled line of his hip.

His blue eyes widened and he gasped. He reached down and grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing her away. "At least let me shut the door." He jumped from the bed, looked quickly up and down the deserted hallway, and then snapped the door shut. He turned back to face the room, only to find Catie on her knees before him.

"Wha… what are you doing?" he stammered.

"Shh," she hushed. She unfastened his belt, tugging at the waistband of his jeans. She pulled them down and began to kiss and lick at the line barely above his boxers.

"Oh god, Cat," he breathed, tilting his head back against the dark, heavy door.

She slowly slid the shorts down and planted slow, deliberate kisses along his hips, driving him crazy. He was leaning back heavily against the door, his knees shaking. He ran his hands through his long, lavender hair, gasping at her every touch.

"Please," he begged.

Catie needed no further prompting and captured him in her mouth as he groaned deep in his throat. He tangled the fingers of his left hand in her hair, pulling her to him again and again. "Yesss," he hissed, closing his eyes.

Trunks' body tensed as he heard voices in the hall.

"I think this is the right way," came a voice that was all too familiar.

"Oh shit, that's my mom!" Trunks said in a loud whisper, trying to push Catie away.

"Truuuuunks!" called Bulma's voice, growing closer.

Catie paused for a moment, looking up at Trunks. An exceptionally naughty look came over her face and she continued to pleasure him, more enthusiastic than before.

Trunks was frantic. "Catie stop! Catie please! Please stop! Catie! Oh… ohhhh god, Catie… don't stop."

"Trunks? Is that you?" Bulma's voice was directly behind the door. She knocked.

Trunks scrambled with the lock, clicking it in place just as the doorknob rattled.

"Are you in there, son?"

"You gotta stop," Trunks mouthed soundlessly at Catie.

She shook her head, taking him deeper into her mouth.

"He's in there," came Vegeta's voice. "I can feel his energy."

"Yeah, I'm here!" Trunks said loudly, still trying to push Catie away, but as he tried, she pulled a particularly splendid move with her tongue and his knees buckled as he fell back against the door with a loud bang.

"Is everything okay in there?" Bulma asked in alarm.

"Just rearranging some furniture for Catie!" Trunks called back.

On the other side of the door, Vegeta and Bulma exchanged confused looks.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop," Trunks whispered.

"Well, we're getting ready to head out," Bulma said. "We just wanted to say goodbye."

"Okay! Bye!" Trunks called over his shoulder.

"Can't you come out here and give your mother a hug?"

Catie giggled, the vibration from her throat making Trunks gasp and smack the door with his hand.

"Trunks?"

"Sorry, mom, it's a real mess in here! Don't want you to see it!"

"Oh, don't be silly…"

"I'll come see you guys later!" Trunks said harshly.

"Let the boy be," Vegeta said.

"Okay, well, we'll see you later I guess," Bulma said.

Trunks waited until he felt his father's energy move a good distance away before he said loudly to Catie, "That wasn't funny!"

She released him then, sitting back on her heels, and laughed until she was choking for air.

"You're gonna get it now," Trunks said in a deathly tone.

Catie screamed and jumped up, running across the room.

Trunks kicked his legs free of the black pants that were tangled around his knees and ran after her. He caught her in the middle of the room, pulling her back against his chest. He kissed along her neck, running his hands across the front of her hips, sliding them up under her shirt.

She tilted her head to the side, sighing contentedly. He pulled at her bra, her ample curves filling his hands. He moaned against her neck. Keeping her back against him, he walked her forward a couple steps, leaning over, bending her over the end of the bed. She giggled, wiggling her hips against him. He pulled her skirt up to her waist, she hadn't had a chance to change since that morning, and ran his hands appreciatively over her curves. He gripped her hips firmly and took her then, both of them crying out in pleasure.

Catie pressed her face into the mattress, trying to muffle her yells as his powerful stroke brought her closer and closer to the edge. Her nails dug into the thick comforter, ripping it as she screamed in a final moment of ecstasy. Trunks hurried his movements then, growling low in his throat as he finished.

Catie rolled to her back, wiping the sweat from her face with both hands. Trunks sat on the edge of the bed, panting. Their eyes met and they laughed loudly.

"That was close," Trunks breathed.

"That was hilarious," Catie laughed.

"You're still in trouble," Trunks said as he lay back on the bed.

"Oh, I think you'll forgive me," Catie replied.

"I can think of a way for you to make it up to me," Trunks said, grinning devilishly at her.

Catie looked puzzled until she ran her eyes over his body. "Again? Already?"

"Hunger isn't the only appetite Saiyans have a hard time satisfying," he purred, reaching for her again.


	26. Kip's Offering

It was a gorgeous, hot summer day. Lindsey was standing in the middle of a field, the wind gently blowing her long, red curls, her white skirt whipping in the breeze. The smell of the grasses and earth enveloped her and she inhaled deeply. She spun on the spot, reveling in the beautiful surroundings. She spun and spun and spun until she fell over from dizziness. A noise to her left caught her attention and she sat up, looking for the source of the sound.

Her eyes finally fell on a skeletal gray mare, her ribs and hips showing painfully through her skin. Blood streamed from her nostrils as she hung her head and looked at Lindsey warily. Each vertebrae in her back was like a spike, rising unnaturally beneath the dirty, pale hide.

"Eclipse?" Lindsey asked, standing once more. She hadn't seen the horse in years. She extended her hand and walked slowly towards the suffering animal.

Without warning, the horse bolted and though she tried to catch the halter that was hanging from the horse's face, it slipped through Lindsey's fingers. She chased the horse, calling her name softly, offering grass she plucked from the ground, but the horse remained just out of reach.

Frustrated and out of breath, Lindsey looked around desperately for help. She jumped when she saw Goku and Chichi standing there.

"Goku!" Lindsey called, hitching up her skirt and hurrying towards them. "I need help!"

Goku turned and fixed Lindsey with a disgusted look. She froze in her tracks, hurt at the expression on his face.

"Goku?" she asked.

"Get away from us," Goku said in a harsh tone.

"Wha-? I don't understand…"

"You think we want you as a daughter in law now?" Chichi asked in a scathing voice. "My son could do much better."

All the happiness seemed to be sucked from the environment at Chichi's words. Lindsey hung her head sadly.

"Now get out of here," Goku commanded. "Stay away from our family."

"Now this is much better," came Gohan's voice.

Lindsey looked up to see Gohan standing nearby, his arms around a slender woman with long, blonde hair.

"Gohan?" Lindsey asked, confused.

He either didn't hear her or had decided to ignore her, but either way it didn't matter. Pulling the blonde closer to him, he tilted his head and kissed her passionately.

"Gohan!" Lindsey shrieked, her heart breaking.

"Get out of here, Lindsey," Gohan said when he finally pulled away from the kiss. "You're better off with them."

"With who?" she asked, until she realized that Jonah and Cody Johnson were standing on either side of her. Before she could react, they each grabbed her by the wrist, their grip crushing. She screamed and struggled, trying to escape. Her feet slid out from under her and she would have hit the ground face first if the boys had let go of her arms. "Help me, please!"

"Eww, she's dirty," Sabriena said, standing before Lindsey. Lindsey didn't know where the girls came from or how they'd got there.

"Briena, help me," Lindsey begged.

Sabriena wrinkled her nose.

"Don't talk to it," Leelee told Sabriena in a hushed tone.

"Leelee!" Lindsey cried.

Catie was looking down her nose at her former best friend. "You're disgusting."

"I don't understand!" Lindsey yelled, still struggling. She could feel the bones in her wrists beginning to crack. "I'm your friend!"

Jenny tossed her head back and laughed harshly. "Why would we be friends with a filthy slut like you? Get her out of here."

"No! No! No!" Lindsey screamed as the Johnson boys began to drag her away. The sky was growing dark, her friends seemed to be fading away, the only thing she could feel was the vice-like grips on her wrists, the sound of evil laughter filling her mind. The horse was following her, its nose only inches above the ground as it watched her with a sad look in its eyes.

"Let's give her something she'll never forget," Jonah hissed at his brother.

Lindsey felt herself falling, falling, falling through darkness until she landed on the damp, cold earth. A square of light was above her as she looked up and she could see the Johnsons leering down at her as they closed the cellar door, trapping her once again.

"NOOOOOO!" Lindsey screamed and sat up, looking around frantically. Her legs were tangled in the bed sheets and she struggled to free herself.

Gohan was sleeping next to her, facing the wall.

Lindsey heaved a sigh of relief. A dream. It was only a dream. She stared at her fiancé for a moment before she spat, "Asshole." She knew she shouldn't be mad at him for what he did in a dream, but the image of him kissing that blonde made her furious anyway.

She rubbed her eyes with her fingertips, trying to clear the dream from her mind. She was so tired. But she knew if she went back to sleep, she'd dream about it all over again. Sighing, she pushed herself to her feet and walked into the bathroom. Pulling open the drawer of the intricately carved vanity in the bathroom, Lindsey pulled out a small wooden box. Setting it on the vanity top, she flipped open the lid to reveal a blown-glass pipe of black and red.

"It match your hair," Kolya had told her when he gave it to her.

Panic gripped her when she realized the small plastic bag that sat next to the pipe was empty. "Dammit," she hissed. She snapped the box shut and stashed it in the back of the drawer and turned back towards her bedroom. The small alarm clock was glowing red in the darkness and told her it was close to midnight. She glanced at Gohan to make sure he was still soundly asleep and then slipped out into the low light of the hallway.

She heard loud laughter from a couple rooms down and followed the sound, curious as to what could possibly be going on at midnight on a Monday night. She stopped outside the door of Tumbler's room, listening.

"Man, this is some good shit," came a voice.

Lindsey couldn't stop herself. If they had something to help her relax, she wanted it. She knocked on the door.

"Shit, shit, shit," came hurried whispers.

A minute later, Tumbler wrenched open the door to his room. "Hey," he said.

"What's up?" Lindsey asked.

"Aw, hell, it's you," Kip breathed a sigh of relief as he looked over Tumbler's shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Tumbler asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

"I can't sleep," Lindsey said. "Can I hang out with you guys?"

The two young men looked at each other for a moment.

"I'm not sure you want to," Kip said, blinking harshly.

Irritated, Lindsey said, "Look, I know you're doing something in here. Now let me in, or I'll blow the whistle on you."

Sighing, Tumbler stepped back and allowed her to enter the room. He nervously scanned the hall, then shut the door to his room, locking it.

"You need to keep it down," he told Kip.

Kip shrugged and sat at the desk again. Lindsey's eyes roamed over the desk, shocked at what she saw there.

"Needles?" she asked, picking up a small, thin needle, still in its protective plastic. "Where the fuck did you get these?"

"Viktor," Kip said, hunched over something on the desk. He looked up at her briefly. "He's diabetic."

"You guys are shooting up in here?" Lindsey asked.

"Don't tell Briena," Tumbler pleaded.

Lindsey debated for a moment. "I won't say anything if you guys share."

Tumbler and Kip looked at each other in surprise for a moment.

"But I get this one," Lindsey said, holding up the unused needle.

Kip nodded as Lindsey sat on the edge of the desk. "You ever done this before?"

"No," Lindsey answered.

"Well," he said, as he opened her needle, "get ready for a rush." Wrapping her bicep tightly with the long piece of rubber, Kip poked the inside of her elbow with his finger. "Got it," he said, and pricked her skin with the tip of the needle.

Lindsey's heart was pounding, her stomach twisting into knots. She was excited and terrified at the same time, wanting so badly to escape from her dreams, yet knowing she was taking desperate measures to do so.

There was a flash of red in the needle, signaling that Kip had hit the vein and he pressed the plunger, emptying the needle into her arm. With a snap, he removed the tourniquet.

She didn't expect the drug to hit her system so quick. Within seconds, an intense wave of euphoria washed over her. Booze had helped, weed was fun, but this… this was incredible. She felt like she could take on the world.

"Look at her," Kip laughed.

"Holy shit, why didn't you guys share this with me before?" she asked. "Wow. Holy shit. Holy shit."

Tumbler laughed.

"I should have come here weeks ago," she said, talking rapidly. "This is way better than fucking pot. Holy shit. I need a cigarette."

She grabbed a pack off the desk, not caring whose it was, and lit one, her hands shaking. She took a long drag. Oh god, even the cigarette tasted better.

"Is this Rammstein?" she asked as the foreign music rolled over the computer speakers. The gravelly voices sounded like heaven to her.

"Shut up for a minute and enjoy it," Kip told her, removing the tourniquet from his own arm.

Bouncing her knees, Lindsey closed her eyes for a moment, the music pounding in her ears. This was the best feeling in the world. She hoped it would last forever.

She soon found out, however, that the high was short lived. After about thirty minutes, she could feel the affects wearing off. She slumped back against the wall, disappointed.

"Well this is horseshit," she mumbled.

"Hit this," Kip told her, holding out a small metal pipe.

"What's this now?" she asked.

"Just weed," he answered, his voice strained from the effort of talking while trying to hold the smoke in his lungs.

She took a couple drags and felt her come-down lessening.

"Better?" Tumbler asked.

She nodded.

"So Viktor gives you those?" she asked, nodding at the box of needles sitting on the desk.

"Not exactly," Kip answered as he sat the pipe on the desk and turned to the computer. "You know how he is. Couldn't find his own ass with both hands in his back pockets. He thinks he misplaces them and orders more."

"You guys do this a lot?"

Tumbler shook his head. "Once or twice a month. That's all."

"So, ah…" Lindsey was trying to find the right way to ask without seeming desperate. "If I wanted to buy some from you…"

"I can hook you up," Kip said absently.

"Fuckin' sweet," Lindsey sighed.

"You wanna go again?" Kip asked.

"Oh, hell yeah," she answered.

A few hours later, Lindsey found herself wandering the hallways of the house, heading for Kolya's room. Without knocking she opened the door and walked in.

Kolya was sleeping face-first in his pillows, one leg hanging off the side of the bed, the sheets tangled around him.

She shook his bare shoulder, "Kolya."

Kolya jumped and sat up, pulling the blankets up around him. He cursed at her in Russian. "You scare me."

Lindsey threw her head back and laughed. "Hey, I'm out."

"Again?" Kolya asked wearily.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, trying not to giggle.

Kolya sighed. "You getting expensive."

"Well, here, then," she said, reaching into her bra and pulling out some cash. She pressed it into his hand. "Will that help?"

Kolya eyed her suspiciously. "Why you haff cash in you pajamas?"

Lindsey looked away from him and scratched behind her ear. "Fell asleep with it," she lied.

Throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, Kolya stood and walked sleepily to his dresser. "Here," he said as he handed her a plastic bag.

"Love you," she crooned as she slipped it into her pocket, next to the small bag of white powder Kip had given her.

Without another word, Kolya flopped chest-first on his bed and yanked the covers over himself.

She left then, heading back down the stairs, never noticing the pair of warm brown eyes that followed her as she went.


	27. Toby's Mistake

Gohan was confused. He'd expected the trial to leave Lindsey more upset, more withdrawn, and jumpier than ever. Yet here she was, sitting in the middle of the floor of the garage, viciously pounding her thumbs on the game controller, yelling at the screen and shoving Catie with her elbow at the same time.

"You'll never beat me!" Catie laughed as her fighter on the screen flipped and punched at Lindsey's character.

"You're cheating!" Lindsey accused.

"Man, she seems like she's doing a lot better," Trunks said quietly to Gohan as they stood and watched.

"Yeah, she is," Gohan answered.

"You don't seem too happy about it," Trunks questioned.

"I don't get it," Gohan said, keeping his voice relatively low. It wasn't really necessary, the video game was so loud. "I thought she'd be upset after the way the trial went last week."

"Maybe she feels better, having faced them or something," Trunks offered.

"I guess," Gohan said. "I'm probably over thinking things."

"Just enjoy the fact that you have her back. I thought you were losing her there for awhile."

"I did too," Gohan replied.

"YES! VICTORY IS MINE!" Lindsey yelled, jumping to her feet and throwing her hands over her head.

"Now who's cheating?" Catie griped, getting up and flopping on the squashy leather couch next to Jenny.

"You!" Lindsey cried, pointing at Seventeen. "You're next, biotch!"

Seventeen smirked. "You can't beat me," he said in his smooth voice as he sat on the floor and picked up the controller Catie had abandoned.

Lindsey plopped back down next to him, staring eagerly at the TV. "You're going down, robot."

"Whatever you say," Seventeen responded as he selected his fighter. "And that's android. Not robot."

"Robot," Lindsey repeated, never looking away from the screen.

"You'll get her next time, babe," Trunks said as he sat next to Catie. He put his arm around her shoulders and rubbed her arm.

"I would've had her if she hadn't distracted me," Catie said, scrubbing irritatedly at her cheek.

Jenny was still laughing. "I can't believe she licked you."

Trunks threw his head back and laughed.

"I'm glad you all think it's funny," Catie mumbled.

"Not fair! Not fair!" Lindsey shrieked, leaning over and mashing the buttons again.

"HA HA!" Seventeen laughed as his fighter finished Lindsey's with a special technique.

"You can't beat an android at a computer game, Lindsey!" Leelee laughed.

"You're in trouble now!" Lindsey shouted and threw herself on Seventeen's back yelling, "RARRRR!"

"Hey!" Leelee yelled and dived on her friend and boyfriend as the two of them play-wrestled on the floor. "My boyfriend! MINE!"

Trunks stared wide-eyed at the tangle of arms and legs on the floor. "She really IS better."

Seventeen was flat on his back, pinned under the two women playfully shoving and pulling at each other.

"Vengeance shall be mine," Catie growled as she flung herself from the couch and grabbed Lindsey's waist, both of them falling over. "Get her, Leelee! Get her!" Catie screamed as she pinned Lindsey's arms behind her head.

Leelee grinned evilly as she began to tickle Lindsey's ribs. Lindsey screamed in protest, writhing and giggling madly.

"Gohan, help me!" Lindsey cried between giggles.

Rolling his eyes, Gohan hauled Catie to her feet and plunked her on the couch next to Trunks. "Contain her, would you?" he laughed. He then pulled Lindsey away from Leelee, who rolled to the floor beside Seventeen. She lay there gasping and giggling to herself.

"My hero!" Lindsey proclaimed, covering Gohan's face in kisses.

"Killjoy," Seventeen said to Gohan as he sat up. "I was enjoying that."

Jenny laughed, then suddenly gasped, clutching at her side.

Piccolo jumped. "You okay?"

Jenny sighed in annoyance. "It's just the baby kicking," she told him for the sixth time that day. She eyed the other girls, "You all remember this when you're having their kids. Babies of warriors kick like mules."

Trunks and Gohan blushed and looked at each other nervously, as if the idea of having babies terrified them.

"Yeah, not thinking about that right now, Jen," Lindsey said, lighting a cigarette.

"I wish you would stop," Gohan sighed.

Lindsey blew the smoke at him. "I could do a lot worse, ya know."

"What do you mean by that?"

Lindsey shrugged and looked away from him, dragging on her smoke.

"Seriously," Gohan pressed, "what did you mean by that?"

"Nothing," Lindsey answered.

Gohan started to protest, but was interrupted by a loud noise. Viktor and Kolya had burst through the door, dragging Toby with them. He looked hurt and confused.

"What's going on?" Trunks asked, getting to his feet.

"Shh," Jenny hushed him, watching the scene before them.

Viktor held Toby by the front of his shirt, bellowing at him in Russian. His burly face was inches from Toby's frightened, baby-face. He looked close to tears.

Catie was frightened by the expression on Kolya's face. His chiseled features looked cold and mean as he stared down his nose at Toby. There was no sparkle in his eyes, no smile on his lips. He crossed his hands and held them in front of the buckle of his belt, standing still as a statue with his shoulders squared and feet planted firmly on the concrete. She'd never seen him look so intimidating.

"WHAT YOU DO?" Viktor yelled.

"I… I don't know!" Toby stammered. There was a panic in his voice. "There was a glitch in the computer system or something!"

"YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DONE?" Viktor's broken English rang through the garage.

Viktor was a huge man, nearly as tall as Piccolo and twice as thick. He had a thick beard that he combed into two points on either side of his chin and a handlebar mustache. Thick silver rings hung from his stretched earlobes. His pale blue eyes were murderous.

Kirill strolled through the door, a large silver pistol in his hand, a cigarette hanging from his lips. He held the pistol even with his shoulder, the barrel pointing towards the ceiling, watching the scene before him with a lazy interest.

Lindsey's insides turned to ice. The sniper's presence brought a whole new context to the situation.

"WHERE THE MONEY?" Viktor screamed.

"I don't know!" Toby cried.

Kolya grabbed Toby away from Viktor and slugged him in the jaw, spinning Toby on the spot and dropping him to the floor.

"HEY!" Gohan yelled and started towards the group of men, but Lindsey grabbed his arm and stopped him.

"Don't!" she hissed.

Anger flashed in Gohan's eyes as he looked at her and Toby cried out again, Kolya's heavy boot connecting with his ribs.

"I'm not just going to stand by and watch them beat that kid up," Gohan answered in a quiet, angry voice.

"You'll do as you're told or Kirill will put a bullet in your eye," she whispered back.

Gohan crossed his arms. "I'd like to see him try."

Lindsey shook her head. Saiyan or not, she didn't see how brute strength could save someone from a 45 caliber bullet.

Kolya crouched down next to Toby as he pushed himself to a sitting position on his knees. "You tell us where the money is," he growled.

"I sent it to the account!" Toby pleaded. "I don't know what happened!"

Kolya was breathing hard through his nose. He stood and nodded once to Kirill.

The gun clacked noisily as Kirill pointed it at Toby, a red dot glowing on his temple.

"Kirill!" Jenny cried, getting to her feet as fast as her pregnant belly would allow.

Fear for what Kirill would do to Jenny if she intervened, Lindsey started across the garage against her better judgment.

"What is going on here?" she asked with a great amount of authority in her voice.

"He take the money," Kirill said around the cigarette in his mouth. "The money for La Bella Notte."

Lindsey froze, terror flooding over her. If Toby had messed up that deal, then Yorgi meant to have him killed. And anyone near Yorgi now was in serious danger.

"The hell is wrong with you?" she spat at Toby.

"I didn't do anything!" Toby cried. "I transferred the money to the account!"

Kirill slowly and deliberately moved his finger to the trigger.

"Stop!" Lindsey cried and flung herself at Kirill, smacking into his arm and throwing his aim off. The round shattered several bottles of alcohol on the bar as Viktor and Kolya ducked.

"Lindsey!" Catie cried and started for them, but Trunks grabbed her.

Everyone stood rooted to the spot. Kirill's green eyes narrowed at Lindsey. He dragged from the cigarette hanging from his lips and exhaled the smoke through his nose. He racked the pistol and pressed it to her forehead.

Fear held her to the spot as she closed her eyes. She was entirely numb. 'This is how I die,' was the only thought that ran through her mind. There was no emotion in the thought, just empty acceptance.

"Stupid cunt," he hissed at her.

She felt the cold metal retract from her skin and when she opened her eyes again, Kirill was gone. She breathed heavily, her chest heaving as she did so. She barely had time to register what had happened when her feet left the ground and her back slammed against the wall.

Kolya had her pinned by her neck with his hand. "STUPID!"

"Kolya, I…" Lindsey gasped.

"Get off her!" Gohan shouted as he marched towards them.

"Yorgi kill you now," Kolya said and released her. "You understand that? Now Yorgi kill you!"

"Not on my watch," Gohan said, grabbing Kolya by the shoulders and spinning him away from his fiancée.

Kolya seemed to puff up as he stepped closer to Gohan, staring down at the shorter man who had interfered in what Kolya considered a private matter.

"I'm not scared of you," Gohan said in a low voice. "Don't you ever put your hands on her again."

Kolya narrowed his blue eyes at Gohan as his fists trembled in anger at his sides. He took a deep breath and snorted like an irritated bull. He said something to Viktor in Russian and they left.

Lindsey rubbed at her neck as Gohan rushed to her. "You okay?"

Lindsey nodded, fixing her eyes on Toby, who was sitting on his knees, leaning over with his face in his hands.

"You stupid son of a bitch!" she screamed, taking a couple steps towards him and kicking his shoulder with her bare foot. He yelped and cowered.

"Lindsey!" Gohan scolded.

She spun around, her dreadlocks flying. "You have no idea what he's done!" She turned back to Toby. "You better hope Yelena can fix this," she said in a low tone. "Get out of here."

Not needing further prompting, Toby found his feet and fled the warehouse.

Jenny met Lindsey's eyes. "This is bad, isn't it?"

Lindsey nodded as she tugged up the striped arm warmers she wore. "I'm going to see Yelena." And with that, she left the garage, leaving everyone but Jenny shocked and confused.

"What just happened?" Seventeen asked.

"Whatever it was, Toby messed up bad," Jenny said, staring at the spot on the floor where Toby had been cowering. "He wouldn't order Kirill to execute someone if it wasn't really, really bad."

"Yorgi told them to do this?" Gohan asked, surprised.

"Well, yeah," Jenny answered like Gohan had gone completely stupid.

Gohan was silent. What kind of mess had he landed himself in? He now understood why everyone feared and revered Yorgi the way they did. He was going to have one of their own murdered over money.

"Maybe Yorgi isn't as great as you all think he is," Gohan said in a low voice.

"Don't be like that," Jenny said as she sat next to Piccolo again.

"You don't see anything wrong with this?" Piccolo asked.

"Not everything is all pink ponies and rainbows around here all the time," Jenny answered. "Everyone is fine as long as they do what they're supposed to do. Toby didn't do his job."

"I thought Yelena handled the accounts," Gohan asked.

"She does," Jenny answered, "But she's got a lot she's working on right now. They let Toby handle this one, trying to let him move up a bit."

"This seems like it was important. What in the world could Yelena have been working on that was more important than this?" Gohan asked.

"Your wedding," Jenny answered flatly.

Gohan blinked several times. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Jenny replied sarcastically. "You know, the wedding Yorgi's paying for. The one he assigned Yelena to plan for you."

Gohan was feeling guilty and angry at the same time. He appreciated all that Yorgi was doing for him, but he disagreed with the way Yorgi treated people. He acted as though every person that worked for him was a puppet on a string that he could command. Like well-trained dogs, Kolya and Viktor had sniffed out Toby and drug him to the garage to attack him until they got the information they wanted. Kirill had a bullet with Toby's name on it and Gohan doubted if he would have hesitated to kill Toby, even if he'd given them the information they wanted. Even Jenny had forbade anyone from interfering what was clearly going to be a murder. Yet at the same time, Yorgi had been more than supportive during Lindsey's ordeal, from her stay in the hospital, through the trial, and after. And without even knowing Gohan, Yorgi had welcomed him into his home and declared him part of the family.

"You know, the big happy day where you and Lindsey proclaim your love for the whole world to know," Jenny continued, trying not to smile. "You know, where you get all dressed up, and say 'I do.' And you get to smoochie-smoochie your new wife in front of everyone. You know, the day…"

"Alright, I get it!" Gohan laughed.

Jenny giggled, proud of herself. At least she'd managed to distract them all long enough for Lindsey to appeal to Yelena and get this mess straightened out.

Yelena was typing furiously on her computer, her forehead wrinkled slightly in concentration. Lindsey leaned over her, staring at the screen.

"I don't think Toby would have just taken it," Lindsey said.

"Nor do I," Yelena answered. "He made a mistake. I just don't see where. The money isn't in either account."

"No one is stupid enough to steal that much money at once," Lindsey continued. "Especially not from Yorgi."

Yelena nodded.

Tika tika tika tika tika went Yelena's fingers over the keyboard. Finally she sat back, sighing in relief. "There it is. He put it in the wrong account."

Relief flooded Lindsey as she fell to her knees, the air rushing from her lungs.

Yelena printed a piece of paper and handed it to Lindsey. "Take this to Yorgi."

Lindsey snatched the sheet of paper and ran from the room, pounding on Yorgi's door when she reached it.

"Da."

She opened the door to see Kirill, Viktor, Kolya and Yorgi standing in the middle of the room. Yorgi looked like he could strangle her to death. His face was turning red, his lips pressed into a thin, flat line. Lindsey had to swallow hard to shove down the fear she felt rising in her chest. Yorgi had ordered people killed before. Would he really do the same to her?

"Yelena found it," Lindsey said, rushing forward and pushing passed Viktor. She shoved the piece of paper in Yorgi's hand. "He put it in the wrong account," she gasped as she tried to catch her breath.

Yorgi's eyes scanned the paper for a long moment. He looked up at the other men and said, "Leave us."

Obediently, the three men left, closing the door behind them.

"You are stupid," Yorgi said to her.

His words hurt, but she didn't protest. You don't argue with a man who's considering what caliber of bullet to put in your brain.

"But you are loyal," he continued. "You risk you life for him."

Lindsey licked her lips. "I don't think anyone is dumb enough to steal that much from you, Yorgi. I knew it had to be a mistake."

"The deal we made is in jeopardy now," Yorgi said slowly. "I have the papers, but they have not been processed yet. If Mr. Dalessandro does not receive the money by tonight, he will withdraw."

"I'll take it to him," Lindsey offered, eager to prove to him that she was worth keeping around.

Yorgi nodded. "I will make the arrangements. You dress nice, and you take X and Gohan with you."

"Gohan?" Lindsey asked.

"I trust him."

Lindsey nodded and left without another word.


	28. Gohan's First Job

"Wow," Gohan breathed. "You look… wow."

"Very articulate tonight, aren't we?" Lindsey asked as she snapped the back on her chandelier earring. Her long, red dress swept the floor, the back open in a revealing cut that dropped dangerously low passed her waist. She wore the black diamond necklace from Yelena once more, pairing it with black earrings and fingerless, black lace arm warmers. She turned to him and said, "You look nice, yourself."

Gohan blushed. He never did care much for suits and ties, but appreciated her compliment. The charcoal colored Armani suit was the most expensive thing he had ever worn and he wondered exactly how it was that it had appeared in Lindsey's room, addressed to him, and it fit like a glove. Whoever had guessed at his size had done a spectacular job.

"We'd better go," she said. "X is waiting for us."

"Is all this formality really necessary?" Gohan asked as he followed her to the garage.

"More than you can imagine," she responded.

Xander was leaning against his gleaming GTO, looking extremely out of place in a black suit with a red tie. Without a word, Gohan slid into the back seat as Lindsey sat in the front and Xander started the car, its motor roaring obnoxiously.

"What's this?" Gohan asked, looking at the large briefcase sitting next to him in the passenger's seat.

"Payment," Xander said.

Gohan blinked and stared at the case again. He wondered how much money was in it. He wasn't used to such extravagant wealth and strict formalities. It was such a contradiction. When the house was in party mode, the members looked and acted like any normal group of people at a rave. But when things were serious, when it was time for business, they dressed and presented themselves in a way that reeked of money and opulence. Gohan had a hard time understanding how they could shift so easily between one personality and another.

Lindsey was staring out the windshield at the dark highway. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xander's hand in the seat next to her, making cryptic movements. She stared at it for a moment out of the corner of her eye, trying to understand what he was telling her.

He drew the letter R with his fingertip on the seat, then pointed at her. He then held out his finger and thumb as if holding a gun. She understood then. Looking up and briefly catching his eye, she turned to stare out the windshield again. Barely moving her arm, she used her fingers to carefully gather up the material of her skirt, revealing the pink 38 she had strapped to her thigh. She and Gohan had never had a conversation about firearms, but she doubted he would approve.

Xander tipped his head forward slightly, without looking at her, acknowledging he'd seen.

"So what exactly am I supposed to be doing?" Gohan asked nervously.

"Nothing," Lindsey and Xander answered in unison.

"You just stand there and look intimidating," Xander continued.

Gohan sighed and stared out the darkened window. The thirty-minute drive seemed to take hours. Gohan had never participated in any sort of business deal before and he was starting to feel very out of place already. He felt like he was part of the Mafia or something, dressing in fancy clothes and doing business deals that involved briefcases and trying to intimidate others. 'What a silly thought,' he scolded himself.

When they finally reached their destination, Gohan couldn't help but be impressed. The huge, white mansion leered at them in the darkness of the hot August night. The perfectly manicured lawn featured a huge circle drive, complete with a towering fountain in the center.

"Let's make this as quick as possible," Xander said in his deep voice. "In and out."

Lindsey nodded as she opened the car door. "Get that case, Gohan."

Gohan was surprised at the weight of it as he grabbed the briefcase and stepped out of the car.

A young woman with olive-colored skin and dark hair greeted them at the door. She led them through the massive entrance, her heels clicking on the marble floor. She finally opened a heavy oaken door and allowed them to enter.

"Mr. Dalessandro," Lindsey said politely, curtseying before the Italian who sat in a high-backed chair behind a large, polished wood desk.

Gohan thought he understood why the house was so big. A man that size needed the space.

Mr. Dalessandro looked displeased. "I do not-a know you."

"Mr. Dalessandro, you forgot me so easily?" Lindsey smiled sweetly. She spoke in Italian, "I thought you enjoyed my company."

"Ah, Leen-da-see," he said, finally. "You changed your-a hair."

"Mr. Dalessandro, there was a terrible misunderstanding," Lindsey began. "It was a simple error, really."

"I do not appreciate being-a lied to," Mr. Dalessandro countered, his moment of friendliness vanishing.

"There was no intentional lie," Lindsey responded. "An intern transferred the money incorrectly. I apologize for the inconvenience."

"In-a-convenience? It-a seems like mora than an in-a-convenience! Millions of dollars being misplaced? HA!"

"I understand your displeasure," Lindsey answered.

Mr. Dalessandro studied her for a moment. "You tell that-a Yorgi the deal-a is off."

Lindsey swallowed. "Mr. Dalessandro, please," she begged as a child asking for a toy, "Allow me to correct this hideous misunderstanding." A slight pout crossed her red lips.

He sighed. "You are-a very good. You are-a hard-a to say no to."

Lindsey batted her eyelashes.

The large Italian sat back in his chair, thinking. "You have-a way to fix-a this?"

Lindsey snapped her fingers at Gohan, who stepped forward and handed her the brief case. She turned back to the businessman who was eyeing her suspiciously. "If I may?" she asked. He nodded and she placed the case on his desk, pulling her skirt back to reveal the high slit and exposing her leg as she sat on the edge of his desk. She clicked open the case and spun it around towards him, revealing the straps of one-hundred dollar bills. She leaned over the top of the case, smiling at him. Her well-manicured nails traced the edge of the case. "Every last cent owed to you, love. I think this should cover it," she said in a low voice.

Mr. Dalessandro wasn't looking at the money.

"Sir?" Lindsey asked, tipping her head to the side.

He blinked and met her eyes. "Ah, yes. That-a should'a cover it."

"So our debt is settled?" she asked.

Mr. Dalessandro nodded.

"Thank you, sir," she said in Italian and slid from the desk. She spoke in English again, "We appreciate your time and cooperation." With that, she turned and left, swaying her hips a little more than was necessary, Xander and Gohan on her heels.

"That's it?" Gohan whispered as they made their way back through the marble hall.

"That's it," she answered.

"Why did I have to come for this?"

"Didn't you see those men in there? I need someone around to protect me," she answered. "If he'd been in a sour mood, who knows if they would have shot me or what."

"So I'm your bodyguard now?" Gohan asked as he got back in the GTO.

"Are you complaining about that?" Lindsey asked as she slid into the back seat next to him.

Gohan smiled, "I guess not."

"What am I, a fuckin' chauffeur?" Xander asked as the car roared to life once more.

Lindsey pulled a dollar bill from her dress, wadded it and bounced it off Xander's head. "Home, Jeffries," she said in her snottiest voice.

"I hatechu," Xander grumbled as he picked up the bill and shoved it in his pocket as Lindsey wrapped herself in Gohan's arms.

Once home, the trio made their way to Yorgi's room.

"He accepted," Lindsey told Yorgi.

He smiled slightly and nodded. "I knew he would."

"You need overdraft protection," Xander said, crossing his arms and trying not to smile.

Yorgi laughed. "Now, there is big party downstairs. We should go."

"Do I have to?" Lindsey asked.

Yorgi nodded. "It's about time you got back to life. No more hiding for you."

Lindsey sighed. "Fine. Just let me change."

Back in her bedroom, she flung the dress on her bed and removed the jewelry, placing it carefully on her dresser. She locked herself in the bathroom, steeling her nerves. She really didn't want to go party, but she didn't have a whole lot of a choice. She slid open the drawer of her vanity, pulling out the small box again. She wrapped her right arm with a length of rubber tubing and peeled back the heavy lace of the arm warmer. She rubbed her arm for a moment, frowning at the thin, long bruises on the inside of her elbow. Her right arm wasn't so bad, but she hated trying to stick herself left-handed. She couldn't shoot her left arm tonight, though, since she'd blown a vein in it the day before. She had a huge bruise in the crook of her left arm.

As the drugs rushed through her system for the third time that day, she suddenly felt confident and happy again. She rolled the arm warmers back up and threw on a black skirt that was entirely too short and a black tank top. She loosed her dreadlocks from the big bun she'd put them in at the base of her neck and flipped them around a bit, then headed for the dance floor.

"Where's Lindsey?" Sabriena yelled over the loud music.

"She went to change clothes," Gohan yelled back, leaning closer to her. "She'll be here in a minute."

"Wanna dance until she gets here?"

Gohan blinked. Sabriena had never asked him to dance before. "S-Sure."

She grabbed his hand and led him out to the crowded floor. She turned to face him, shimmying her hips, one hand in the air holding her red cocktail. "Do you think she'll be able to handle this?"

"I guess so," Gohan answered. "She's been doing a lot better lately."

The song faded as another started up.

"OPPA GANGAM STYLE!"

"Oh my god, I love this song!" Sabriena cried.

Gohan shook his head. "I'm gonna go get something to drink."

She didn't seem to notice as she and the rest of the people engaged in the most ridiculous dance Gohan had ever seen. He found his way to the main bar and saw Lindsey sitting there, smoking a cigarette and talking to Kolya.

"So that's how I came up with the theory that fish can drown," she laughed.

"What?" Gohan asked, laughing slightly.

"Gohan!" she cried and hugged him. "I missed you."

"It's been twenty minutes," he laughed.

"Twenty minutes too long," she said seductively.

"You're silly."

She grinned in response.

"I think I'm ready for something different with my hair," she said out of nowhere. "I don't think I look good with these dreadlocks. Do you think I look good with them? I don't think so."

Gohan blinked at how fast she was talking. "They're okay."

"See? You don't like them. Maybe I should go blonde. Do you like blondes?"

"I like redheads," he smiled at her, leaning his forehead against hers.

She laughed again. "Nah, I think you'd like a blonde."

"Where on earth would you get that idea?"

"I saw the way you looked at her," Lindsey said, suddenly seeming melancholy. Her mood had shifted as quickly as if someone had flipped a light switch.

"Looked at who?" Gohan asked, completely confused.

"You kissed her," Lindsey answered, resting her hand in her chin, her elbow on her knee.

"I didn't kiss anyone!" Gohan protested. "What are you talking about?"

"The girl in my dream," Lindsey mumbled.

"Your dream?" Gohan asked, blinking several times. "You're mad at me for something I did in your dream?"

"Just forget it," Lindsey said, hopping off the barstool and walking away.

"What in the world just happened?" Gohan exclaimed.

"Ah, women," Kolya said, throwing his arm around Gohan's shoulders as if their confrontation earlier that day had never taken place. "They all crazy."

Gohan stared at Kolya out of the corner of his eye, extremely uncomfortable with the closeness. "You don't say."

Kolya swigged on his bottle of vodka. "You want some?"

"I'll pass," Gohan said, stepping away from the tall Russian and following the path Lindsey had cut through the crowd.

He found her on the dance floor with Leelee, both of them bouncing from foot to foot, singing with the song, "HEYYYYY SEXY LAAADAAAYYY!"

"Can I talk to you?" Gohan yelled over the loud music.

Lindsey blinked at him. "Oh, hey!"

He shook his head once. She seemed to be back to being in a good mood. "Are we okay?"

"Of course!" she smiled, still dancing.

"What about your dream? I thought you were mad at me?"

"Oh, it was just a silly dream," she answered. "I'm over it."

"Well whenever you decide to start making sense again, let me know," Gohan said and walked away. What was the matter with her? How did she all of a sudden become a happy, party-loving person again when just a couple weeks ago she couldn't stand to be around anyone? He was completely and utterly confused.

"Hey!" Lindsey called after him. He ignored her. She chased him down. "HEY!"

He stopped and looked at her.

"What's wrong?" Lindsey asked.

"You're not making any sense. One minute you're all happy and fine and the next you're treating me like shit."

Lindsey blinked. It was rare for Gohan to curse. "Well excuse me."

"You're not excused," he said and continued on his path away from the party.

Lindsey stood where she was, watching him go. "Fuck you, too, then." She returned to Leelee who was gasping for air as the song ended.


	29. Arguing with Herself

It was several hours later before Lindsey finally returned to her bedroom. Gohan was laying in bed on his side, the covers pulled up over his shoulder.

"Gohan?" she whispered. He didn't respond.

"Fine," she huffed. "Must be nice to just sleep whenever you want." She pulled off her top and the arm warmers, rubbing at the insides of her elbows. She peeled off the skirt and stockings, tossing the whole lot in a wicker basket near the dresser. "Wish I could sleep like that."

"Gohan!" she barked at him, still to no answer. "Whatever." She stormed into her bathroom, slamming the door and banging around inside, trying to be as obnoxiously loud as possible. "Jerk," she hissed under her breath. She spun the handles on her bathtub, running the water. She packed her pipe and lit it, inhaling deeply and holding it until her lungs felt like they were going to burst. She exhaled a long stream of thick, white smoke. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror and jumped. She didn't like the looks of the person staring back at her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" she asked her reflection, which was looking exceptionally pale and rather thin. "Quit pissing him off. He's the best thing that ever happened to you and you're lucky he can still tolerate you. You disgusting piece of shit."

She stared in loathing at the mirror. Her green eyes looked flat, like all the life had disappeared from them.

"You're so pathetic!" she yelled and she looked at the track marks on the arms of the person in the mirror. "So fucking pathetic." She took another hit off the pipe. "Yeah, you have to have that shit to keep going, don't you?"

She didn't know why she was mouthing herself in the mirror at three o'clock in the morning. She blew the smoke at the mirror, watching it spiral back towards her. "Stupid bitch," she said, imitating a Russian accent. "Stupid whore. That's all you're good for, isn't it? Just the play-thing of these men to use as they see fit." She dragged on the glass pipe again, watching the embers glowing.

"Disgusting," she spat and exhaled again. "Dirty. Worthless."

She stood up straight and examined her reflection. "You're getting fat, too." She giggled to herself and quietly said, "Not as fat as Jenny, though." She sighed. "At least she has an excuse – it's a baby. At least she's happy. She's got her shit together. Unlike YOU."

The water began to spill over the side of the tub and she rushed to turn it off. "Fuck." She grabbed a couple towels and began to sop up the mess. "Fucking bullshit." Leaving the towels on the floor, she picked up her pipe again, staring at the full tub of water. "I should just drown myself." She didn't mean it, she was rambling now, babbling every random, dark thought that crossed her mind.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" she shouted at the mirror. "Your parents would be ashamed if they could see you now." The thought brought angry tears to her eyes as she remembered her father. She could see his strong features in her mind. His square jaw that Shayne had inherited; Shayne looked so much like him. She studied herself now, trying to find a glimpse of him in her own face. Her yellow-green eyes were the only indication she was Jack Blackwell's daughter. "Why did you leave us?" she whispered to his memory. She shook her head. "Talking to a corpse," she muttered. "How stupid can you get?"

She cached the pipe, then finished undressing and splashed in the tub, ignoring the water that slopped over the sides. She washed quickly and drained the tub, nearly slipping as she got out. She clicked off the bathroom light and walked to her dresser, slipping into stretchy yoga pants and a long-sleeved shirt.

"Gohan?" she asked as she slid into bed.

He gave no indication that he heard her.

"I love you," she said pitifully and lay down, turning her back to him and she drifted off to sleep quickly.

Gohan sat up, bringing his knees up and resting his crossed arms on them. He'd heard every word she'd spoke to herself in the bathroom. He thought he understood, now. She wasn't any better. She was faking it, and doing a damn good job of it. He didn't know what to do. He'd been so happy that she was finally back to being like her old self. Didn't he know her at all? He should have been able to tell she was being fake. He began to wonder just how much she was capable of faking. He couldn't let this go on anymore. The pretending to be okay just wouldn't cut it. He wanted her to be truly happy.

He sat there in the dark, pondering this new revelation for over an hour. He thought of every possible scenario that could help. If those guys who'd hurt her in the first place were gone, maybe that would solve a bunch of the problems. She could move on, knowing that they would never be able to hurt her again. But what could he do about it? It wasn't like he could just walk into the county jail and blast them to pieces. He'd be wanted for murder. He needed to talk to someone. Someone who knew her well. He got out of bed and left her room, not sure which way to go.

A small girl with short brown hair was in the hallway.

"Sophie," Gohan called.

She turned and smiled at him. "'ello, love," she purred in her British accent.

"Can you show me where Xander's room is?"

"Sure," she answered and led the way. "Why do you need to talk to X?"

"Just want to ask him something," Gohan replied.

"Kind'a eahly fo' questions," Sophie said thoughtfully as they climbed a staircase.

Gohan didn't answer.

"Tha's it," Sophie said, nodding to a door as she continued on her way.

Gohan knocked and Xander's voice said, "Yeah?"

Gohan opened the door and blinked at the sudden brightness. While most of the rest of the house was dark-colored and seductive, Xander's room was an eye-bleeding electric blue. His walls were covered with posters, skateboards, mountain bikes and other gear that spoke to his daredevil tendencies.

Xander eyed Gohan for a moment from his gaming seat on the floor and asked, "Sup?"

"I need to talk to you about Lindsey," Gohan started.

"Oh, not again," Xander grumbled, dropping the controller to the floor with a clatter. "Man, I'm over it, okay? You win. Let it go."

"It's not about that," Gohan retorted. "I'm worried about her."

Xander fixed Gohan with a bored stare. "What's she done now?"

"She's pretending to be happy and I know she's lying to us."

Xander cocked an eyebrow. "I ain't never known her to be fake before."

"Exactly," Gohan said. "I don't know what to do to fix this."

"I thought she was getting better," Xander said. "She seems fine to me."

"That's the thing I'm worried about," Gohan stated. "She's had all of us fooled. Even you and I. And I think it's safe to say we know her better than anyone."

Xander let out a little snort of laughter and nodded. "Yeah, I'd have to agree with you on that one."

They sat quietly, both lost in their thoughts for a moment before Xander asked, "So how'd you figure it out?"

"She was talking to herself in the bathroom. She thought I was asleep," Gohan answered.

"What'd she say?"

"All sorts of crap," Gohan said. "Called herself a whore, said she was worthless."

Xander rubbed his face. "Ah man."

"I don't know what to do," Gohan sighed, looking around the room. He didn't know what half the stuff there was for, and frankly, he didn't want to know.

Xander kept rubbing his head and his face, trying to understand it all. "She still drinking?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Well then what do you want to do about it?" Xander asked, spinning the heavy silver thumb ring he wore.

"If I knew what to do about it, I wouldn't have come here."

"Did she say anything else?"

"She called herself pathetic, said her parents would be ashamed of her," Gohan recounted.

"Now why on earth would she think her parents would be ashamed of her?" Xander asked. "I never met Jack, but I know Shayne pretty damn well, and that man was proud of all of his children."

Gohan shook his head. He hadn't spent much time with his future brothers-in-law and knew very little about them, despite all the time he'd been staying there.

"They're good people, Gohan. Like your family. Her ol' man might not have saved the world like yours…"

Gohan's head snapped up at Xander's words.

"Yeah, we know all about you Saiyans," Xander continued. "You think Yorgi doesn't know everything about you? Don't fool yourself, man. There's a reason he wants you in Anarchy 99."

"You know… about us?" Gohan asked.

"You, your dad, Trunks, Piccolo… that other goofy lookin' fuck with the spiky hair…"

"Vegeta?"

Xander shrugged. He looked up at Gohan again, "We know all about you. The Cell games, the fact that Trunks' mom owns Capsule Corp, that you're the grandson of the Ox King…"

Gohan blinked in disbelief.

"I got you, bro. You ain't hidin' shit from me. Or anyone else for that matter, and especially not Yorgi."

"But… I don't… how?" Gohan stammered.

Xander ignored the question and continued, "Oh, and your little buddy Seventeen better watch himself or he'll be recruited next. An android with a taste for violence? That's _right_ up Yorgi's alley."

Gohan didn't know what to say. He never dreamed that the Anarchy 99 leader would have taken so much interest in him, his family, or their past.

"Anyway, like I was saying about her dad, he might not've saved the world, but he took damn good care of them when their mom died. And when he died, well, Lindsey was awfully messed up for a good, long while. That's how she ended up here. That's why she was drawn to Yorgi. He made her feel safe and took care of her."

"Didn't Shayne…?"

"Yeah, Shayne took care of her. But he's her brother, not her dad. He did the best he could for a couple years, but when she turned sixteen, she got some wheels and she was gone. I think Shayne appreciated it in a way. He got to go back to being her brother again instead of trying to be a parent."

Gohan stood quietly, trying to make sense of it all.

"But there's no way Jack would have ever been ashamed of her," Xander said. "Especially not for what happened. I don't understand that at all. Are you sure you heard her right?"

Gohan nodded.

"There's something going on here that we're missing."

Gohan hated himself for thinking it, he couldn't believe it would be true, but the words came before he could stop himself, "You don't think… the things that defense lawyer was saying…"

Xander narrowed his eyes dangerously, "Don't fucking tell me you think she willingly let those guys do this to her."

"I don't know why else she'd think her parents would be ashamed or why she'd call herself a whore."

"You're a fucking idiot," Xander spat.

Gohan sighed. "I know."

"Get the fuck outta my room. In fact, get the fuck outta this house. If you think for a split fucking second that she'd do something like that…"

"I don't!" Gohan protested.

"Then why would you say something like that?"

Gohan shook his head, wiping the thought from his mind. "I'm just trying to figure out what's going on with her!"

Xander raked his lower teeth over his upper lip, shaking his head slowly. "For someone who's supposed to be so smart, you're fucking retarded at times. You know that?"

"You're the one who can't form a sentence without the word 'fuck' in it," Gohan retorted.

Xander closed his eyes for a moment. "This is painful. You give me a goddamn headache."

"I don't exactly enjoy your company, either."

"Dude, go back to bed. Just keep an eye on her and we'll figure it out. Focus on the trial. We're all gonna get drug back next month. We have to have our ducks in a row."

Gohan nodded and left, feeling worse than when he'd entered Xander's room. He wished he hadn't gone in the first place.


	30. Hide 'N Seek

In the following weeks leading up to the next trip to the courthouse, Lindsey was making herself scarce. When someone ran into her, she acted as close to normal as she was capable, but it was rare for anyone to see her, it seemed. When Gohan returned to her room in the evening she was always there, already asleep. He was spending more and more time with Catie and Trunks, mostly watching movies in Catie's room or reading books while lounging in the formal living room, which no one really used on a regular basis.

He could feel his own nervousness and tension building as the days passed, dreading being put on the stand again or hearing Lindsey recount her time in the cellar. He didn't know if he could handle it twice. On the evening before they were supposed to go to court again, Yelena approached Gohan as he sat in a chair in the living room, his nose buried in a novel.

"They've pushed the date back again," Yelena said.

"Huh?"

"The defense. They're really working on something if they want to wait another month."

"Any idea what it could be?" he asked, closing his book.

Yelena shook her head. "Even Yorgi can't find out what they're trying to do. I told you that Flynn is a snake."

"Yelena, have you talked to Lindsey? She's acting funny again."

"Only about your wedding," Yelena said. "And it would make my job much easier if you two would set a date."

"Hard to marry someone you never see anymore," Gohan grumbled.

"You need to be more compassionate," Yelena scolded.

"Me? She's the one who's hiding all the time now!"

"Then go find her. Fix the problem now, or it's not going away."

"I can't fix it by myself!"

Yelena shook her head. "I get so tired of you men. You have no idea what women go through in this house. You all think you can just be all macho and make everything bad disappear. That's not how it work. Have you ask her how she feeling? Noooo. That would be too simple."

"Oh, what do you care?" Gohan said, slumping back in his seat. He was becoming more and more dejected as the days went on.

"You have no idea what she's going through," Yelena said in a deathly tone. "You have no idea how it feels."

Gohan looked up at her, trying to comprehend what she was insinuating.

Yelena narrowed her eyes at him. "And I don't care? I'm the only one working on this damn wedding of yours. And now I wondering if I wasting my time!" With that, she stomped away, muttering to herself in Russian and throwing Gohan a filthy look over her shoulder.

Getting to his feet, feeling more confused than ever before, Gohan made his way to the garage, which was exceptionally full that evening.

"Anyone seen Lindsey?" he asked loudly above the noise of the TV.

Several people shook their heads.

"We should look for her," Kolya said, standing up. "Like reverse hide and seek. We all seek!"

"Kolya, no," Gohan started.

"I bet I find her first!" Sophie teased, running from the garage.

"Oh no you won't!" Sabriena called after her, getting up and running for the door as well.

"Guys! I'm being serious!" Gohan shouted. It was too late. Everyone had been bored and the suggestion of such a child-like game from Kolya was far too enticing. Before he realized what had happened, Gohan found himself alone in the garage with Piccolo.

"You should have known better," Piccolo said with a smirk.

Gohan threw his hands in the air. "I give up!" And with that, he returned to the house, hoping he'd stumble across his fiancée before anyone else did.

The whole house was buzzing about the little game they'd taken up. Shouts of "Lindsey!" "Where are youuuuu?" and "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" filled the hallways.

Trunks was standing in a hallway near a closet, debating about which direction to head, when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around and found himself face-to-face with Lindsey.

"There you are!"

"What the hell is going on?"

"Everyone's trying to find you," he answered.

"Why?"

"Gohan's looking for you. Kolya turned it into a game. I guess I win."

Lindsey's wide green eyes blinked several times in confusion. "Well, let's not make it too easy for them, then." She grabbed his arm suddenly and pulled him into the closet with her.

"This is weird," Trunks said, uneasily shifting his weight from foot to foot. "Should we be in here?"

"Shhh!" Lindsey giggled. "This is funny, now."

Trunks didn't look convinced.

"Every time someone passes here, grab them. Let's see how many people we can fit in one broom closet."

Trunks snickered then, actually thinking her idea was rather brilliant. It would certainly break up the monotony of the afternoon. They heard a noise in the hallway and they both threw themselves against the door, listening hard.

"Lindseeeeey? Where are you, loooove?"

"That's Sophie," Lindsey whispered to Trunks. She creaked the door open, reached out and snagged Sophie, yanking her inside the closet with them as Trunks snapped the door shut. "Gotcha."

In the dim light, Sophie looked bewildered until they explained their own game they'd created within the reverse hide and seek game. Sophie sat on an overturned bucket, trying not to laugh as Trunks struggled to drag Seventeen into the closet.

"Captured," Trunks beamed as Seventeen sulked in the corner.

"This is the most ridiculous…"

"Captured!"

Seventeen huffed.

Kolya was captured next, who then attempted to capture Kirill, but released him when Kirill, who had not been part of the game, pulled his gun.

"He's no fun," Kolya pouted.

Catie and Viktor were captured shortly thereafter and the closet was becoming very crowded.

The door was wrenched open and there stood Xander, gaping at them all.

"Party in the closet!" Catie proclaimed.

Xander couldn't help but laugh. "Get out of there. You're like the clowns that pile out of that tiny car at the circus."

As they filed one by one out of the closet, Lindsey blinked innocently at Xander.

"This was your doing," he accused.

"Moi? Neverrrr," she grinned.

"There you are!" Gohan exclaimed as he rounded the corner of the hallway. "Everyone's been looking for you."

"And they are all now my hostages," Lindsey said, throwing her shoulders back proudly.

"Um, hostages?"

"She kidnapped us!" Catie cried.

"I helped," Trunks admitted.

Gohan shook his head.

"I demand ransom!" Lindsey proclaimed.

"Lindsey…" Gohan began.

"Ransom!"

"Here's your ransom," Sophie said, withdrawing a sucker from the purse she had slung over her shoulder.

"CANDY!" Lindsey happily took the sweet, unwrapped it and popped it in her mouth. "I has a lolli."

"Now can we talk?" Gohan asked.

Lindsey nodded and followed him down the hallway as everyone else began to organize a proper game of hide-n-seek.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Gohan asked when he was sure they were out of earshot of the others.

Lindsey rolled the candy in her mouth to her cheek, speaking around it. "I thought you were mad at me. I wath just giving you some spathe."

"I'm not mad at you," he sighed. "I just didn't understand you snapping at me at the party the way you did."

"I sthnapped at you?" she asked. "I don't remember thath."

"Yeah, you did."

"I'm thorry."

"Would you take that sucker out of your mouth? I can't understand you."

She pulled the sucker from her lips with a loud smack and said, "I'm sorry."

"Lindsey, if we're going to make this relationship work, we can't be arguing and avoiding each other."

"I know," she answered, looking at the floor.

"You do still want this to work, don't you?"

She met his eyes then. "I do. More than you know."

Gohan breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, then. From now on, we talk to each other about everything, okay?"

She nodded and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. They stayed that way for a long time, enjoying the peaceful moment until Trunks ran by, smacking Gohan hard on the back and yelling, "Found you! You're it!"

Gohan wheeled around, watching Trunks disappear down the hall. Lindsey popped the lollipop back in her mouth and ran after Trunks, calling back to Gohan, "You'll never find meeee!"

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I suppose," Gohan said to himself as he turned to the corner, closed his eyes, and began to count out loud.


	31. Bad Habit

The cool weather of fall brought much needed relief after the intense heat they'd experienced all summer. Jenny was exceptionally thankful. She was miserably hot anyway, and with her continued training sessions, she felt she was on the verge of heat exhaustion.

"You big baby," Catie teased one morning as Jenny was complaining about it.

"You try doing push-ups with your stomach dragging the ground," Jenny growled.

"I don't envy you guys," Lindsey said.

"You should come with us," Catie offered.

"And train with Vegeta? Are you mental?" Lindsey cried. "I don't think so. I've been through enough."

"Suit yourself," Catie shrugged as she and Jenny prepared to head out. "We'll be back later, to…ya know…" she trailed off.

"Help me not freak out about tomorrow? Yeah," Lindsey sighed. She'd secretly hoped Mr. Flynn would ask for another extension, but no such luck.

"Maybe you won't be called to testify again," Leelee said hopefully.

Lindsey shrugged. She'd been trying to not think about it. "I think I'm going to go lay down," she said suddenly.

"You want me to come with you?" Gohan asked.

"I'm just going to take a nap," she said, leaning over to kiss him. "You stay here and beat Seventeen's ass at Mortal Kombat."

"Not gonna haaaappennnn," Seventeen sing-songed without removing his eyes from the screen.

Lindsey shook her head and left them, Gohan's voice following her, "You just met your match."

She welcomed the quiet and solitude of her room. She leaned against the door for a moment, taking it in. She knew it was only a matter of time before Gohan would come to check on her, though, so she got to work quickly. Within minutes, the drug was racing through her veins, the euphoric feeling washing over her again. She clicked on her stereo, "Bad Habit" by the Dresden Dolls filled the room. Nodding to the music, Lindsey lit a cigarette, taking in the mix of nicotine and lyrics that hit her system.

"Biting keeps your words at bay

tending to the sores that stay

happiness is just a gash away

when I open a familiar scar

pain goes shooting like a star

comfort hasn't failed to follow so far…"

Gods, it made sense. She sat cross-legged in the middle of the floor, bouncing her knees, dragging on her smoke. She rocked in time with the music, totally lost in it.

"and you might say it's self-indulgent

you might say it's self-destructive

but, you see, it's more productive…"

She suddenly felt like she could handle tomorrow. She could put those guys away for good, where they would never be able to hurt another girl the way they'd hurt her. Her thoughts raced as she wondered if they'd ever done that to someone else. How many other girls were hurting the way she was? Did other girls scream out in the middle of the night? Did they despise themselves the way she did? Did they look for ways to cope like her?

"…the ugly marks

are worth the momentary gain

when I jab a sharpened object in

choirs of angels seem to sing…"

She was picking at her nails, listening, listening… the only thing that existed was that music. The alto voice was singing words written just for her. The aggressive piano notes a nod to the anger she'd felt for so long.

"…I cherish the revolting thought

that even if I quit

there's not a chance in hell I'd stop

and anyone can see the signs

mittens in the summertime

thank you for your pity, you are too kind…"

She was so lost in thought that she didn't even hear the door open.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Lindsey jumped and looked over her shoulder. "Toby?" She stood up, eyeing him uncertainly. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Aw, c'mon, Lins, it was a mistake," he said. "They got it straightened out, didn't they? Besides, Yorgi forgave me."

"Well, okay then," she shrugged. "Yorgi really forgave you? That's amazing. I didn't think he ever forgave stuff like that. But you know Yorgi. He's totally unpredictable. Don't you think? I think he is. But he's really great. I mean really, really, really great."

"Whoa, slow down," Toby said, "I can't understand you."

"Ah," she waved both arms at him as if shooing him away.

"What'd you do to your arm?" Toby asked, taking a step closer and looking at her.

She grabbed the inside of her left elbow. "Whacked it on a door. You better get out of here before Gohan sees you in here and thinks you're up to something."

"Yeah, okay," Toby smiled as he left the room.

She felt jittery and upset all of a sudden. Toby had ruined her high. She was terrified that maybe he didn't buy her story. She chewed at her thumb, not sure of what to do. This was awful.

The song had changed. Lindsey closed her eyes, trying to wrap herself in the music again, but it was no use. She was coming down now. She flopped back on her bed, irritated beyond all belief. She could kill that little bastard for just walking into her room.

"…hope grabber,

Greedy little fit haver,

God, I feel for you, fool.

You shit-lover, off brusher,

Jaded, bitter, joy-crusher,

Failure has made you so cruel…"

There was a knock at the door. Lindsey covered her face with a pillow and mumbled, "Go to hell."

Knock, knock, knock.

"Go to hell, go to hell, go to hell."

"Lindsey, open the door! My hands are full!"

She jumped at Gohan's voice, tugging down the sleeves of her shirt and opened the door for him. He entered, carrying two plates of food.

"I brought you some lunch," he said. "I figured you wouldn't be able to go back to sleep this early in the day."

She nodded and didn't answer.

"Rotten to the core,

Rotten to the core,

Rotten like a crack-whore,

Begging out the back door,

Show us what you're good for…"

"What in the world are you listening to?" Gohan asked as he sat the plates on the desk.

"Dresden Dolls," Lindsey answered.

"Is it because you're

A FUCKING….

Backstabber?

Hope grabber, greedy little fit haver…"

Gohan clicked the radio off.

"Hey!" Lindsey snapped.

"What?" Gohan asked. "That band doesn't sound all that great, anyway."

"Dresden Dolls are not a band! They're an experience. And you wouldn't know good music if it bit you in the ass."

"I'm gonna let that one slide and chalk it up to you being stressed out about the trial," he said with his back to her. "Now come here and get something to eat."

She heaved a sigh and walked to the desk, plopping down in the chair.

"Sorry it isn't much," he said, sliding her plate to her. "You know I don't know how to cook." There was a sandwich and a handful of Doritos on it. "Cool Ranch, your favorite," he smiled.

"Thanks," she said, taking a bite of sandwich.

"You nervous about tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Me too."

A rush of appreciation for Gohan hit Lindsey in that moment and she grabbed his waist, hugging him tightly. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Gohan knelt down to eye-level with her. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"Yes, I do," she answered. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Gohan."

He hugged her tightly. "It's going to be okay. Those guys will be locked up for good and they'll never hurt anyone again."

She didn't know why she felt such comfort in his words, but they soothed her heart. If only they were punished for what they'd done, if there was some justice in this world, if two dangerous men were forever removed from society, then maybe, just maybe, what she'd gone through would be worth it, if it prevented them from hurting another girl.


	32. Up in the Air

It was like a repeat of the last time they went to court. Anarchy 99 once again filled the courthouse, having muscled their way passed the TV crews outside, blocking the reporters from entering. The Johnsons were there with their lawyer, who was positively beaming with confidence. After all formalities were spoken, the judge asked Mr. Flynn to call his first witness.

"The defense calls Tobias Shavers to the stand."

Lindsey whipped around, looking for Toby. Not understanding why he would be called forward, she expected him to look just as confused as she felt. A stab of betrayal pierced her as he strolled forward, looking cockier than she'd ever seen him before. He was sworn in and took his seat.

"Mr. Shavers, what is the nature of your relationship to Miss Blackwell?"

"We used to work together," Toby answered.

"For whom did you work?"

"Yorgi Ovcharova. I managed his computer systems, assisted with bank transactions, that sort of thing."

Yorgi was looking murderous. He leaned his head over, whispering something to Kirill. The sniper's eyes narrowed.

"And did Miss Blackwell assist with the same type of work?"

"HA," Toby laughed mirthlessly. "She does good to open an email."

"What was the nature of her work?"

"Not really sure," Toby said. "Mostly being a piece of eye-candy. She loves to party and draw attention to herself. Yorgi uses women like her to distract clients into making bad business decisions."

"Define drawing attention to herself."

"Dressing like a slut."

There was a roar of outrage from the crowd and the judge called for silence.

"Do something!" Lindsey hissed at the prosecutor.

"It's admissible. They're questioning your character. My hands are tied," he whispered back.

"You mean she dresses provocatively?" Mr. Flynn gestured to the young woman at the prosecutor's table in her knee-length black skirt and matching black suit jacket. "She looks rather conservative to me."

"It's a ruse," Toby replied. "I've never seen her dress like that before. It wouldn't draw the level of attention she's used to. She loves the spotlight."

"Has she ever been known to put on a show or exaggerate a story to gain the attention of others?"

"Sure. She loves to brag about stealing that horse and showing off that scar on her side. She glorifies it, wears it like a damn badge of honor or something."

Mr. Flynn smirked. "And she behaves like this often?"

Toby shrugged. "She used to. She's been playing the victim a lot lately, acting withdrawn from everyone, jumping and screaming every time someone even tries to shake her hand. It's all an act. She's got everyone in that house wrapped around her finger. They're all worried and concerned and whatnot. She isn't no more scared of any of them than the man in the moon."

"Well, she's been through a lot lately, hasn't she?"

Toby snorted. "So she says. Yet she has no problem being normal when she thinks the right people aren't looking. I've seen her playing around, wrestling with her friends – men and women – coming and going from their bedrooms at night. She's a fraud."

"Why is he doing this?" Mr. Fusselman whispered. He had tried on many occasions to get members of Anarchy 99 to testify against their leader. Not once had he ever been successful.

"Yorgi fired him," Lindsey whispered back. "This is his revenge."

"You stated that she likes to party. Can you clarify that statement?"

"She's an alcoholic," Toby stated bluntly. "X had to drive her home a few months ago after she passed out in the hallway, blasted on vodka."

"She's not old enough to drink, though," Mr. Flynn led on.

"Doesn't matter. You can get anything in that house if you ask. Awfully easy to get ANYTHING you want."

"Anything?"

"Anything."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Alcohol, marijuana, harder drugs if you know who to ask."

"But surely the sweet, innocent Miss Blackwell would never partake in such activities?"

"Sure she would. She loves it. She's been getting high for months."

Lindsey's insides turned to ice. So Toby had seen through her lie yesterday. She could feel the sweat rolling down the back of her neck and the eyes of everyone behind her on her back. Someone behind her choked back a cough and she thought it sounded an awful lot like Kip.

"Objection," Mr. Fusselman said. "This is all speculation. Besides, the victim isn't on trial here for substance abuse."

"Miss Blackwell's behavior speaks to her character and unpredictable nature as observed directly by the witness, your honor," Mr. Flynn countered.

"Overruled."

"How do you know she's been abusing drugs, Mr. Shavers?"

Toby grinned. "Her room reeks of marijuana. And I've seen the track marks on her arms."

"Track marks? You're referring, of course, to the typical bruises left by injecting oneself?"

"Exactly," Toby replied.

"And how recently did you witness such evidence?"

"Yesterday. She was blitzed out of her mind. Babbling on and on about nonsense, chain smoking, her teeth chattering and hands shaking so bad she could hardly get the cigarette in her mouth. She tried to tell me she'd hit her arm on the door when I asked about the bruises."

"No further questions at this time, your honor."

"Mr. Fusselman, your witness," Judge Hayes said.

The prosecutor stood and approached the stand. "Mr. Shavers, you were recently released from the position you held with Mr. Ovcharova, correct?"

"Yes," Toby said, a mean look in his eye.

"For what reason?"

"I made a mistake in transferring some money to an account."

"But you handled all the business accounts?"

"Not all of them. This was the first big transaction I was allowed to handle on my own."

"And you blew it."

Toby didn't respond.

"You don't seem like a very reliable sort of person, Mr. Shavers, if you cannot handle a simple bank transfer. Are you really certain you witnessed all the things you claim you have?"

"Yes, I'm certain."

"Given your recent unemployment, how can we be sure you aren't fabricating your testimony as some type of… revenge?"

"You calling me a liar?"

"If the shoe fits, Mr. Shavers."

"Objection, your honor," Mr. Flynn stated. "Harassing the witness."

"Sustained."

"No further questions."

Toby strolled proudly across the front of the courtroom and down the aisle between the benches. The room was deathly silent as he headed for the exit until someone hissed in a loud whisper, "You're a dead man."

Toby froze and looked wildly around the courtroom. Not one person was looking at him. His shoulders rose and fell in fear as he breathed heavily. He swallowed and left the courtroom, eager to put a good distance between himself and the people he'd betrayed.

"Next witness, Mr. Flynn."

"The defense recalls Miss Lindsey Blackwell to the stand."

'Let me die. Let me die. If there is a god in heaven, let me die now,' she prayed silently. She slowly pushed herself to her feet, walking to the front of the courtroom. Her knees felt weak. She'd give anything to not be forced into a corner and confront her drug addiction. Not here, not in front of Gohan. This would be the final straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. If she slipped, if it was somehow revealed that she was using, he'd never forgive her.

"Miss Blackwell, I'll get straight to the point. Do you have a problem with substance abuse?"

"No."

"Miss Blackwell, you are under oath."

She fixed him with the bored stare that Xander gave people he didn't respect.

"Do you deny the fact that you have been seen entering and leaving the rooms of other Anarchy 99 members in the middle of the night?"

"No."

"Why would you be visiting friends at such a late hour?"

"A lot of us are night-owls. It isn't uncommon. Someone there is always awake at any given point in a twenty-four hour period."

"Yes, but they all aren't up smoking dope, are they?"

"No one I know does that."

"Not even Mr. Ovcharova?"

"Especially not him."

"Your lies just don't stop, do they?"

"Objection!"

"Grounds?"

"Harassing the witness."

"Sustained. Mr. Flynn, get on with it."

"Mr. Ovcharova has a history of substance abuse. May I remind the court that not two years ago he was charged with possession of an illegal substance? Despite the fact that this is public record, she denies it in open court." He fixed her with a mean stare. "That's perjury."

"I thought you meant Yorgi," Lindsey said. "We all know Kolya was accused of possession. Accused. Not convicted."

"And still, you frequently visit with him?"

"He's my friend. I see nothing wrong with visiting with a friend."

"In the middle of the night?"

"Night-owls," she repeated in a bored tone.

"Does he provide you with your drugs, Miss Blackwell?"

"I don't use drugs," she lied, keeping her gaze steady, trying not to blink too much. She remembered reading somewhere that blinking too much was a sign of lying.

"Then I suppose you would have no objection to showing the court your arms? If there are no identifying marks, then you have nothing to hide."

Lindsey wasn't sure what to do. Yelena caught her eye and discreetly held up her hand, splaying all five fingers.

"Miss Blackwell?"

"I plead the fifth."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I invoke my fifth amendment right to not incriminate myself in a court of law."

Mr. Flynn gave her a look that clearly said, "Give me a break." He stared at her like that for a solid minute before he stated, "Yet you have nothing to hide."

"I have nothing to hide," she spat back at him. "But my life hasn't exactly been an easy one. My arms are scarred from hard work and injuries that result from that work – ranch work. I will not have a mark on my arm from honest labor be misconstrued as drug abuse."

Mr. Flynn frowned and nodded. "Fair enough. Just one final question, Miss Blackwell. Do you inject yourself or does Nikolai Ovcharova do it for you?"

"Why you little…"

"OBJECTION!"

"Withdrawn," Mr. Flynn grinned and actually winked at the jury.

"Mr. Fusselman, your witness."

The prosecutor stood once again. "Miss Blackwell, how close are you to Nikolai Ovcharova?"

Lindsey was still fuming at the defense attorney. "Very close. He's like a brother to me."

"What was the reason for so many late-night visits with him?"

"Kolya's a very easy person to get along with. I don't think there's anyone who doesn't like him. He's funny. In a time in my life where I feel so sad, he makes me smile. No matter how bad I feel, he can make me laugh. There was nothing illegal or inappropriate about our visits."

"No further questions, your honor."

"You may step down."

Lindsey slunk back into her seat at the prosecutor's table, tears in her eyes. She just wanted this whole thing over with. She was starting to feel sick. As Mr. Flynn called Jonah to the stand, the waves of nausea washed over her. He began to give his testimony, claiming she'd personally invited him and his brother to her party, that they'd met in secret away from the rest of the people there, and had agreed to meet the next morning at the creek. Once there, she'd been the one to initiate sex, already naked and swimming in the creek by the time they'd arrived.

Lindsey couldn't stop herself. She clapped a hand to her mouth and ran from the courtroom, looking sickly green, and didn't stop until she had burst into a bathroom stall and vomited violently.

"Mr. Fusselman, where did your client go?" Judge Hayes asked, stopping the testimony of Jonah.

"She isn't feeling well, your honor."

"Do you want to continue or wait until she returns?"

"Continue," Mr. Fusselman stated.

Gohan was sitting still as a statue, his eyes fixed on the man who had hurt his fiancée so badly. It was taking everything in his power not to fire a blast of concentrated energy at him right there on the spot. The testimony of Jonah and Cody went on for well over an hour, with Mr. Fusselman viciously debating every word they said.

"Are there any more witnesses?" Judge Hayes asked when Cody finally resumed his seat.

"No, your honor," Mr. Flynn answered.

"Mr. Fusselman?"

"No, your honor."

"Then we shall hear closing statements at this time."

Mr. Fusselman stood and addressed the jury. "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, it is painfully obvious what occurred on that spring morning on the Blackwell farm. A young woman, who thought herself safe, was attacked by two men she once counted as friends on her own property. DNA evidence presented and doctor testimony has confirmed that the two men in question sit before you, today, in this very room. Abducted and held against her will, beaten, raped, she begged for her life as they prepared to take it from her. You've seen the photographic evidence and heard her testimony. No one asks for that kind of abuse. Do not let the defense trick you into thinking that this young victim was deserving of this kind of torture. Do not let the horrendous actions of these criminals go unpunished! Too many victims do not report these attacks because of the intensely personal nature of such crimes. Do not reward her bravery with disappointment. Too many sexual predators walk free in our society. Send a message to the victims of these crimes that this will no longer be tolerated! Make an example, take a stand, and put these criminals away where they belong!"

Mr. Flynn stood then, as the prosecutor resumed his seat. He paced in front of the jury for a moment, seeming to collect his thoughts. "Drug abuse. Theft. Alcoholism. Blatant displays of overt sexuality and a penchant for exaggeration and falsehoods. These are not the actions of a sweet, innocent young woman. Miss Blackwell has a long and well-documented vendetta against my clients. There was no crime here. At least, not one committed by Jonah Johnson or Cody Johnson. If anything, these young men fell victim to the coldly calculated plan of this seductress. She has proven herself dishonest, not only in court, but to those close to her as well. This is nothing more than an intricate, carefully woven web of lies and deceit, meant to ensnare my unsuspecting clients, in an attempt to ruin their names and their future. Do not punish these young men and ruin the rest of their lives based on the false testimony of one jaded young woman. A woman who clearly has something to hide. She is not hiding from the world because of the alleged actions of my clients, but is hiding the truth from every single person in this courtroom. Do not be fooled. She is no more an innocent victim than any common prostitute on the street. And to send my clients to prison for HER actions would be the real crime! Search your hearts, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, and you will see that this is true."

Mr. Flynn returned to his table, gathering up his papers and briefcase.

"Court shall be in recess until the jury reaches a verdict," Judge Hayes said.


	33. The Verdict

"Toby, that little weasel," Jenny growled as they stood in the lobby of the courthouse.

"Where's Lindsey?" Gohan asked, looking around. He hadn't seen her since she'd left the courtroom.

"I'll go find her," Catie offered, heading for the ladies' room. She entered and crouched down, scanning the floor of the stalls. She saw Lindsey's legs curled up beside one of the middle toilets and walked to her. "You okay?"

"No," Lindsey said, looking miserable. Her shoulders lurched and she vomited into the toilet once more, her throat burning. Wiping her face, she turned to Catie, who had crouched down and held Lindsey's dreadlocks back. Her eyes were the most intense green Catie had ever seen them, but she decided it was because Lindsey's eyes were so bloodshot, it offset the color. Her whole face was bright red and she was breathing heavily. "They made me look like a whore, didn't they?"

"They tried to," Catie answered honestly. "But I'm sure the jury can see right through that. We've got 'em. They'll be on a prison bus to Bonne Terre before you know it." She lowered her voice and whispered, "I hear Big Bubba's planning their welcome party."

Lindsey let out a small laugh and rubbed her eyes.

"Now they'll see what they did to you," Catie said, her eyes staring intently into her friend's. "They'll get what's coming to them. They'll see what it's like."

"You think so?"

Catie nodded.

Lindsey nodded slowly too, blowing a long breath from her pursed lips, trying to calm her stomach.

"Now, let's get you up," Catie said, standing and pulling Lindsey up with her. "Gohan's looking for you." Taking Lindsey by the arm, she led her over to the mirror where she wet a paper towel and wiped her friend's face.

"Oh god, that feels good," Lindsey said, closing her eyes as the cold wetness swept across her forehead.

Catie planted the folded wet paper against Lindsey's forehead with a smack. Cold water trickled down the bridge of her nose and over her eyelids as Lindsey took another long breath.

"Better?" Catie asked.

"Much."

Catie peeled away the paper towel and Lindsey dried her face with a fresh one.

"Let's go," Catie said, linking arms with her slightly shorter friend and they made their way back to where Gohan stood.

"There you are," he smiled. "You feeling okay?"

"I'm better," she answered. "Just had to get it out of my system."

"You throw up?"

She nodded. "I'm okay now, though. There's nothing left to throw up."

Gohan kissed her warm forehead. "I think you might be coming down with something. You feel really warm."

Lindsey shrugged.

"Oh, oh, oh," Jenny said as she slowly sat on a wooden bench shoved up against the brick wall, one hand on her stomach and the other stretched out behind her to catch herself if her knees gave out.

Bulma hurried to sit by Jenny. She'd been increasingly concerned about her. "Do you need anything to drink? You feel okay?"

"I'm okay, MOM," Jenny answered in a teasing way.

"Well I'm as good as," Bulma replied. "But I am far too young to be a grandma."

"Baby can call you Nana," Jenny smiled.

"I'll have no such thing," Bulma answered. "Baby can call me Auntie and that's it."

Jenny smiled wider as Catie sat on her other side.

"And you, missy," Bulma continued, "I'm having a hard enough time worrying over her. Don't you go making me an actual grandma yet."

"I don't plan on it," Catie answered.

"Promise?"

Catie held up two fingers. "Scout's honor."

"Well that's a relief," Bulma sighed, digging in her purse and pulling out a small mirror.

"So when are you gonna find out what you're having?" Catie asked.

"I'm having a baby," Jenny replied sarcastically.

"Smart ass," Catie said. "I oughta smack you."

"Can't," Jenny grinned. "I'm pregnant."

"Your face ain't pregnant."

Jenny laughed a little too loud and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Seriously, though, when do you find out?"

"I could find out now, but we want it to be a surprise," Jenny said.

"We need to throw you a baby shower," Bulma said. "You're due in about eight weeks."

Catie let out a loud, long gasp. "BEEBEE SHOWER!" she squealed

"Shh, Cat!" Jenny hushed.

"Sowwy," Catie whispered.

Lindsey knelt on the floor in front of Jenny, facing her. She held her hands up and asked "Can I?"

Jenny grabbed Lindsey's hands and placed them on her round tummy. The baby inside squirmed and kicked against Lindsey's palms and she smiled. "I can't wait to see him. Or her."

"Me too," Jenny sighed. She poked at her tummy, "I wish you would come out already."

"Yeah, then you'll wish they'd go back in," Bulma muttered.

"Mom!" Trunks scolded, his face flushing.

Bulma was still studying herself in the mirror. "Sorry, dear."

Trunks looked at the ceiling and shook his head.

"You need a haircut," Bulma said, staring at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Don't you dare," Lindsey and Catie said in unison.

"Why do you care?" Catie asked Lindsey.

"He looks nice with long hair and I want him to look good at my wedding," she answered.

"Fair enough," Catie shrugged. "The long hair is sexaaay."

Trunks covered his eyes with his hand and rubbed his forehead.

"Lindsey, we have to go," Gohan said, offering her his hand. "The jury's reached a verdict."

She took his hand and stood, walking slowly beside him as he whispered in her ear, "This is it. The nightmares stop tonight."

She closed her eyes, wishing beyond wishing that his words would hold true.

Once everyone was settled, Judge Hayes asked, "Has the jury reached a verdict?"

An elderly man in the jury section stood and responded, "We have, your honor."

"Will the defendants please rise?"

Mr. Flynn, Jonah, and Cody all stood and faced the jury.

"In the case of Jonah Johnson, with the charge of rape in the first degree, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant not guilty."

Lindsey shook her head. What? What did he say?

"In the case of Cody Johnson, with the charge of rape in the first degree, how do you find?"

"We find the defendant not guilty."

There was a tension building across the back of Lindsey's neck and shoulders. It seemed that people were starting to buzz angrily around her, yet everything seemed very far away. There were several loud bangs and a hush settled over the room again.

"Defendants are cleared of all charges," Judge Hayes proclaimed. "Court is adjourned."

Lindsey stared blankly at a spot on the floor several feet in front of the table she sat at.

"You're free to go, Miss Blackwell," Mr. Fusselman said in an apologetic tone.

Lindsey shook her head slowly. "Can't. I have to wake up, first."

He looked at her confused.

"Bad dream," she said in a faint voice. "Funny, this all seems so real."

Gohan rushed to Lindsey's side.

"She's delirious," the prosecutor warned.

"Gee, I wonder why," Gohan spat. "Way to do your damn job, Mr. Prosecutor. No wonder this county is such a joke."

Looking hurt, the short, dark-haired man turned and left without another word.

Gohan sat in the chair next to Lindsey, spinning it sideways to face her. "We have to leave now," he said in a soft voice.

She looked at him, her expression bewildered. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," he answered as they stood and joined their friends and family once more.

Outside the courthouse was like a circus. There were more reporters there than ever before, each of them screaming questions at the various members who'd been involved in the case.

"Lindsey! What prompted you to make such hideously false allegations against the Johnson brothers?"

"Gohan! Gohan! How do you feel, knowing your fiancée betrayed you the way she did? Will the wedding be called off?"

"Nikolai, what sort of drugs did you provide her with?"

Kolya froze on the spot, staring at the idiot with the large TV camera on his shoulder. He turned to his brother and asked in Russian, "Just one. Give me just this one."

Infuriated beyond all belief, Yorgi gave a nod and Kolya's fist connected with the large camera lens, simultaneously shattering the lens and blacking the man's eye.

"Alexander, can you explain the love triangle between yourself, Gohan and Lindsey?"

Xander stepped closer to Lindsey, taking her by her right arm and helped Gohan steer her through the crowd, the two of them elbowing reporters and camera crews out of the way, never making eye contact with any of them, his mouth firmly closed.

Piccolo had had just about enough as it was when a particularly obnoxious reporter confronted Jenny. "You're friends with Lindsey Blackwell, aren't you? Can you tell me just how bad is her drug addiction?"

Jenny stared at the blonde lady in disbelief. Piccolo's eyes narrowed and flashed as reporters began to scream as their cameras sparked and crackled, emitting puffs of smoke.

"Nice one," Goku said.

Jenny stood rooted to the spot, watching the near-riotous crowd. She watched Gohan and Xander helping Lindsey into the black SUV. She saw Kolya straddle his motorcycle and slide his black sunglasses over his face, the midday sun glinting off them. His heavy boot slammed down on the bike, looking over his shoulder as Yelena and Yorgi climbed into the SUV. He gave a nod, then laid into the acceleration, holding the front wheel off the pavement half-way across the parking lot, then slamming it to the ground as he approached the first turn and disappeared down the highway, followed closely by the black Escalade.

"I don't understand," Jenny said softly.

"Nor do I," Piccolo agreed, his deep voice somewhat hushed.

Jenny glanced at the Johnsons who were standing on the steps, talking loudly to reporters. They smiled and laughed openly, shaking hands with their lawyer.

"I could kill them now," Trunks offered in a deadly tone as a flash of gold briefly washed over his hair.

"Only if I get to help," Catie answered.

The tears were welling up in Jenny's eyes. "We'll never get her back now."

"You shouldn't be so quick to give up on her," Vegeta said suddenly, standing next to Jenny on the courthouse steps.

"But how could they ignore everything that happened to her?" Goku asked, his voice angry. "This isn't right!"

"This is what you get when you rely on humans to take care of their own world," Vegeta answered. "Useless. Ignorant. It's disgusting what they do to their own kind."

"For once, I agree with you, Vegeta," Piccolo said.

"You mean things like this don't happen where you're from?" Jenny asked, blinking at Vegeta.

"Such a thing was unheard of. Saiyans are a noble race. We may fight each other and even take over other planets, but forcing a female to do something like that against her will is the most disgusting thing I've ever heard of." Vegeta turned to Goku then and said, "I don't envy you on this, Kakarot. Your family has a long road ahead of you."

"I know," Goku replied quietly. "And it starts today."


	34. Too Much

Goku had never ventured so far into the warehouse before. He had seen the rest of the Z-Fighters back to the farm house and then flown here, determined to sit Lindsey and Gohan down and have a long talk with them about what had occurred that morning. He couldn't understand it. He knew, without a question in his mind, that his future daughter in law was being honest about the situation and he wondered how in the world those men had been determined innocent.

Goku was feeling terribly conflicted. Never before had he stood idly by while someone inflicted harm on others. But always in the past, the villain was someone strong, like himself. Some alien or creation, hell-bent on world domination or destroying the universe. It had never been two common human beings before. While he thought that they should be punished to the extreme, it just didn't seem like a fair fight.

He wandered the hallways, getting turned around and he finally became convinced he was walking in circles. Everything looked the same to him. He finally stopped in his tracks, focused on Gohan's energy and pressed two fingers to his forehead, vanishing and reappearing in Lindsey's bedroom.

Gohan jumped. "Dad! You startled me!"

"Sorry about that," Goku laughed. "I tried to find you the old fashioned way, but this place is huge. I kept bumping into some girl with green hair. I have no idea who she was."

"Yeah that happens a lot around here," Gohan said. He was sitting on the side of the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees, staring at the wall.

"How is she?" Goku asked, sitting down next to Gohan on the oversized bed.

Gohan shrugged. "She wouldn't speak the whole way home and as soon as we got here, she locked herself in the bathroom. We kept trying to talk to her, but she just sat there."

"Gohan, I can't imagine what you're going through, son," Goku said and put a comforting hand on Gohan's shoulder. He could feel his son shaking slightly, his power level beginning to creep up.

"I honestly thought today was going to change everything," Gohan said, shaking his head. "I thought she'd really go back to being normal after they locked those guys away. And now, they're free to do as they please. There is no justice in this world."

Gohan's shoulders heaved as he began to sob. He hated to cry, especially in front of his dad, but he just couldn't hold it in anymore. The disappointment with the outcome of the trial, the sheer exhaustion of having your nerves on end for days, the anger, the frustration, was all too much.

Without judgment or hesitation, Goku pulled his son to him, holding him tightly. His son had always been a bit of an emotional boy and while Goku saw that as a strength, he'd also seen the damage Gohan could inflict when he was upset.

"Let it all out, Gohan. It's all right."

"I'm just so angry!"

"I know."

"How can you do that to another living being? An innocent person? A GIRL?" Gohan cried. "No one deserves that!"

Goku didn't answer. He didn't know the answer. He couldn't fathom it himself and was finding his own heart hurting, too. He hated seeing his son so sad. He had even come to love Lindsey as his own. He knew that the two of them needed each other now more than ever.

After several long minutes, Gohan took a deep, calming breath and scrubbed at his eyes with his fist. He sat up straight again. "I'm sorry, dad."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Goku answered. "It's okay to hurt. It's okay to cry. I'd be more worried about you if you didn't."

"I just don't want her to think I'm weak."

"Having compassion and caring about our loved ones isn't weak, Gohan. You know that."

Gohan sniffed and nodded. He took a long, quavering breath, leaning back on the bed with one hand. "Man, I'm hungry."

"Hey! Now there's a good idea!" Goku cried happily. "This place is incredible; I bet they've got awesome food. Why don't you go grab us something to eat?"

"I don't want to leave Lindsey alone," Gohan said.

"I'll stay with her," Goku offered.

"Well, okay," Gohan said uncertainly as he got to his feet. "I'll be back in a bit."

Goku looked around the room, not sure what to do without Gohan there. He felt rather out of place. He stood and wandered around the dark, windowless room, looking at black-framed pictures on the walls and dresser top, the pillar candles, the knick-knacks. The dark, gothic feel of this room was a stark contrast to the light, breezy country theme of her room at the farm house.

Goku heard a thud from the bathroom and figured Lindsey was getting ready to return to the bedroom. 'Uh, oh. I'd better let her know I'm here.' He didn't want her just walking out if she wasn't dressed or something. _That_ would make for an uncomfortable moment. He walked to the bathroom door, put his hand up by his mouth and said loudly, "Lindsey, it's me, Goku! Gohan went to get us some food so I thought I'd stay here with you."

There was no reply.

"Hey, are you okay in there?"

Silence.

Goku was becoming worried. What if she'd slipped and was hurt? Was that the thud he'd heard?

"Lindsey, if you don't answer me right now, I'm coming in there!"

Still there was no answer.

He debated for a minute, trying to decide what to do. He tried the doorknob, but it was locked. "Okay! I'm coming in! One! … Two! …" He didn't want to do it. He really didn't. But when she didn't answer, he felt as though he had no choice. He had to make sure she was okay. "THREE!" Goku easily kicked the door open, splintering the doorframe where the deadbolt had held it closed. The door banged open, flying inwards towards the bathroom, the hinges creaking from the sudden strain.

Goku blinked at the high-contrast black and white striped walls. "Lindsey?" he asked. He took a few nervous steps into the bathroom, not wanting to accidentally see her indecent, but worried enough that he had to check, looking around until his foot hit something. Nearly stumbling, he caught himself and looked down.

Lindsey was lying on her side on the floor, unconscious. Her jacket was hanging on the back of the door, and she now wore a sleeveless black top and her charcoal colored skirt. Her skin was deathly pale against the black tile floor. Goku dropped next to her on his knees. "Lindsey?" he cried, shaking her shoulder. Her skin felt like it was on fire, despite the fact that she remained so incredibly pale. "I don't understand…"

And then he saw it. A small needle was lying next to her right arm and he jumped backwards, slamming his back against the bathroom wall, smacking the back of his head. He grabbed his head with both hands and cringed at the pain. Why a needle?! God, he couldn't stand the sight of those things. Swallowing hard and shaking his head, he crept to her again, pulling her into his lap, shaking her violently. "Lindsey! Wake up!" He grabbed a washcloth from the vanity top and wetted it under the sink one-handed, cradling her shoulders in his right arm, still trying to shake her awake. "Come on, wake up. Please wake up." He ran the sopping cold rag across her forehead and face, hoping it would rouse her. She remained limp and unresponsive.

"What have you done?" Goku asked desperately.

She began to gasp for air, like a person having an asthma attack, and Goku realized she was beyond his help at that point. Scooping her into his arms, he ran through her room and out into the hallway. "HELP! SOMEONE HELP! SHE'S HURT!"

Yelena came running down the hallway as fast as her stilettos would let her. She had been on her way to her room, carrying a large stack of papers. "What happen?"

"I don't know. I found her on the floor. There was a needle…"

Yelena's dark eyes flashed and she fixed them intently on Goku's. "Come," she commanded and ran down the hallway, Goku right on her heels. Yelena pulled a phone from her pocket and dialed it as she ran. "Lindsey overdose," Yelena gasped into the phone as she turned a corner. "We bring her to you room."

They hurried up two flights of stairs and at the top Yelena pointed to the big, heavy doors at the end of the hallway. "Take her to Yorgi. I get first aid."

Goku sprinted for the doors just as Yorgi opened them and stepped aside. Goku stopped just inside the room as Yorgi shut the doors behind him.

"She won't wake up," Goku said, still cradling his future daughter-in-law in his arms.

Yorgi peered at Lindsey for a moment, grabbing her wrist and examining her arm. "Shit," he whispered. "Put her on the bed." He jerked his chin towards the massive bed that sat with its extravagant headboard against the wall.

Lindsey's lips and fingernails had turned a pale blue color and her breathing was shallow.

"I don't understand," Goku said again. "Did she do this to herself? What's going on?"

Yelena entered the room then, carrying a large red duffle bag with her. "Toby wasn't lying about this," she said as she sat on the edge of the bed, pulling a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope from the bag.

Goku's expression was puzzled. "She's been using drugs?"

"For awhile now, from the looks of it," Yelena answered, rapidly squeezing the bulb to inflate the cuff.

Yorgi leaned over from the other side of the bed. "You see this?" he asked, pointing at the dark, small bruises on Lindsey's inside elbows. "Track marks. They come from shooting drugs directly into your veins."

"But why?" Goku asked. "Why would she do that to herself?"

Yorgi shook his head.

"That guy they kept talking about… Niko… Nika…"

"Nikolai," Yorgi said.

"Yeah! Him! Did he do this?"

Yorgi fixed Goku with a dangerous stare. "My brother may be an idiot at times, but he is not this stupid."

"Her blood pressure's low," Yelena said. "We need to get an IV going."

"Shouldn't we take her to a hospital or something?" Goku asked nervously as Yelena began to pull more items from her kit.

"We can handle this here," Yelena answered. She unpackaged the rather large IV needle and Goku jumped backwards again.

"This is traumatic for you," Yorgi stated. "Come." He led Goku over to a large desk and pulled out the chair for him. Goku warily sat down with his back to Lindsey and Yelena. Yorgi plunked a large tumbler in front of him, half-filled with clear liquid and ice.

"Drink that."

"It smells awful," Goku protested.

"Drink it anyway."

Goku forced himself to swallow the liquor down, even as it seared his throat. "Oh, god, that's awful."

"It'll grow on you," Yorgi said, clapping Goku on the shoulder. He pulled out his phone and tapped at the screen for a moment, then slid it back in his pocket. A couple minutes later, there was a terrible thundering coming from the hall and the door burst open, three men freezing on the threshold for a minute, all of them looking out of breath and horror-struck.

The only one Goku recognized was his son. "Gohan," he started, but Yorgi cut across him.

"Search her room. Find what she took."

"Lindsey…" Xander said, taking a step forward. Yorgi caught him in the chest, open handed, and stopped him.

"Search her room."

Without further protest, Gohan, Xander and Kolya ran back the way they came, yelling angrily at each other as they did so.

"Did you give her the drugs or not?" Gohan spat at Kolya as they thundered down the stairs.

"I gave her pot, only."

"You did what?!" Xander yelled, nearly falling on the stairs as he looked over his shoulder at Kolya.

"I was try to help."

They continued to run down another two hallways and down a second flight of stairs.

"How was that helping, Kolya?" Gohan screamed.

"She not sleep! She not smile! Weed fix that!"

They reached her bedroom and Xander opened the door, walking in and immediately looking around.

"She didn't need all that!" Gohan argued, standing in the middle of the room, staring up at the tall Russian who was a good seven inches taller than he was. "It didn't fix anything! What good did it do?"

"I not hear you complaining when she was fucking your brains out."

Gohan gaped at those words.

Kolya narrowed his eyes. "My room right above yours," he pointed at the ceiling.

Gohan's eyes went wide and he blushed bright red. "She was high?"

Kolya nodded with a snort and turned to the dresser, ripping items of clothing from the drawers and tossing them carelessly over his shoulder.

"Are you even concerned that she overdosed? She could die!" Gohan demanded.

"You can't overdose on weed, Gohan," Xander called over his shoulder, rummaging through the nightstand.

"Then what else did you give her?" Gohan asked, turning to the computer desk and ripping open a drawer that fell apart in his hand from the sheer force he used. Pens and papers scattered all over the floor. Gohan sighed, "Dammit."

"I tell you, weed only," Kolya insisted.

"Then she got it somewhere else," Xander said in a low, thoughtful voice. He stood stock-still, trying to think where she'd hide her stash. He clomped across the wood floor in his heavy boots to the bathroom. On the floor was a small wooden box, its top flipped open, containing a glass tobacco pipe, a small bag of weed, some factory-wrapped needles, and a tiny bag of white powder. He carefully picked it up and returned to the bedroom. "I found it."

Kolya and Gohan rushed to him, peering inside the box.

"You ever seen this before?" Xander asked.

"No," Gohan breathed, staring in disbelief. There it was, cold, concrete proof that she'd been using drugs. Proof that she had lied to him. Again.

"Come on," Xander said, snapping the box shut and hurrying from the room, Kolya and Gohan on his heels.

"X found it," Kolya announced as they reentered Yorgi's room.

Yorgi calmly accepted the box from Xander and placed it on the desk next to Goku's still empty glass. He opened it and ran his eyes over the contents. He picked up the small bag of powder, opened it, stuck his finger inside, then barely touched his finger to his tongue.

He spat on the floor. "Coke," he said simply.

"She's been shooting up COCAINE?" Xander exclaimed. "How is she not dead yet?"

Gohan fell hard on the floor, grabbing his head and pressing his elbows to his knees.

Yorgi rounded on his brother. "YOU GIVE HER THIS?!"

"NO!" Kolya shouted back angrily. "WEED ONLY! I NO DO THAT SHIT. YOU KNOW THAT!"

Yorgi swung on his younger brother, landing a punch to his neck, as Kolya retaliated. In one fluid motion, Kolya slid the leather jacket from his shoulders and tossed it away, bringing his fist up to punch Yorgi in the stomach. Kolya was the only person in Anarchy 99 who wasn't afraid of Yorgi.

"YOU KNOW BETTER!" Kolya screamed.

"I KNOW YOU A IDIOT!"

They began to argue in Russian, still swinging at each other, until Kolya resorted to tackling his shorter brother around the waist, pinning him to the hardwood floor.

"YOU STUPID – SONUVA – BITCH!" Yorgi hissed through clenched teeth, slamming his fists on his brother's back.

Kolya sat up, straddling Yorgi's chest, and dug his knees into the crooks of Yorgi's elbows as Yorgi bellowed in rage and pain.

"It… not… me…" Kolya panted, resting his hands on his hips, staring down at the man he had pinned to the floor.

Yorgi was breathing hard, too, studying his brother who loomed over him. Finally Yorgi gave a nod and Kolya stood, extending a hand and helping Yorgi to his feet. Yorgi smoothed his long-sleeved, dark blue shirt and gave his hair a shake. "You lucky you my brother," he growled, rubbing his arms.

Xander had that bored expression on his face again. "So if you didn't give it to her, who did?"

No one answered.

Yelena finally walked towards the group of men. "She's stable for the moment. If we get her through the night, she will survive." She looked at Goku. "Lucky you found her."

"Lucky I was there," Goku said with a nervous laugh.

"How did you know she was in trouble, dad?" Gohan asked from his place on the floor.

"I heard a loud bang," Goku answered. "I thought she'd slipped or something."

"Lucky for all of us Yelena was army medic," Kolya put in.

Gohan looked up at Yelena. He'd never known that. It gave him the slightest amount of comfort. He stared at the floor, his elbows still on his bent knees, the heels of his hands pressing into his forehead. He was going numb inside… He wasn't sure whether to feel angry or scared or hurt… there was just a cold emptiness there that he'd never felt before in his life.

"Do you think this was intentional?" Xander asked Yorgi.

Yorgi shook his head. "If it was, she would already be gone. She had enough to do the job if she want to."

Xander pressed his lips together, nodding. He looked at Yorgi's massive bed, with the floor-to-ceiling bedposts. There was a lump in his throat that he couldn't seem to swallow.

"We have a lot of work to do," Yelena said. "This is not going to be easy."

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked.

"Detoxing her is going to be nightmare," Yelena answered. "We need to watch her twenty-four hours a day."

"I'll do it," Gohan volunteered.

"Me too," Xander offered.

"No, neither of you," Yelena argued. "You're too close to her. She will resent you for it and you will give in. Not a good plan. We need someone else."

"I keep her here, in my room," Yorgi said. "I watch her."

"I'll help," Goku offered.

Yelena nodded. "Between the three of us, if we work together, we should be able to do it. But I warn you, she is not going to be herself."

"I can handle it," Goku replied.

"I don't understand," Gohan said. "She's been really outgoing and confident again the passed two months."

"And she has been moody and irrational, too," Yelena corrected him. She shook her head, trying to show Gohan a bit of sympathy, "She was not herself, Gohan. Deep down, you know that. She was high."

"The whole time?" he asked, disappointedly.

"The whole time." Yelena turned to Kolya. "Bring us some of her clothes and her pillow. And search them thoroughly before you do."

Kolya nodded and left the room.

"Get out of here," Yorgi told Xander. "Take him with you."

Xander reached down and grabbed Gohan under the arms and hauled him to his feet. "C'mon."

Goku looked at Gohan and heaved a sigh. "I guess I'd better tell your mother what's going on."


	35. Dysfunctional

"You need to stop," Piccolo said in a warning voice.

Jenny was leaning back on the couch, sweating and out of breath, holding her stomach. "I can't stop. I have to keep training."

"Vegeta, you need to ease up on her!" Bulma shrieked at her husband. "This is getting ridiculous."

"She knows how much she can handle," Vegeta responded simply.

"We just got back from the trial and all you can think about is training?"

"We had to do something to blow off steam!" Catie argued back. "I'm ready to kill someone!"

"I don't see why we can't," Yamcha said darkly, crossing his arms.

Trunks nodded in agreement. "I've been saying that since this happened."

"Then what are we just sitting around here for?" Yamcha demanded.

"Because Goku said not to attack them," Piccolo answered.

"But, Piccolo…"

Lindsey's eldest brother Shayne tromped into the room, distracting them from their argument, and extended his hand to Chichi, handing her his cell phone. "Your husband is calling."

Chichi blinked. "He never uses a phone." She took it and asked, "Goku?"

Everyone sat quietly as Chichi listened intently over the phone.

"This doesn't look good," Trunks said in a quiet voice to Catie.

"SHE WHAT?"

Everyone jumped at Chichi's sudden exclamation. "Well are they taking her to the hospital?... Oh my goodness, Goku… But Gohan didn't… phew, okay… okay, sweetheart. I love you." Chichi handed the phone back to Shayne who shook his head and turned to leave the room.

"Hey! Do you know what's going on with your sister?" Chichi shouted at his back.

Shayne paused and answered, "Yeah."

"Aren't you concerned?"

"She's in good hands," he answered simply and continued on his way.

"I've never seen such a dysfunctional…" Chichi trailed off, shaking her head.

"What's wrong, Chichi?" Bulma asked.

"Lindsey's sick," she answered.

"What do you mean?" Leelee asked, standing up. "Do we need to help?"

"There's nothing you can do, dear," Chichi said kindly, seeming very out of character for her. She looked very concerned. "We just need to be supportive right now."

"What's going on?" Catie asked. A sad-looking Chichi was much more frightening than an angry Chichi.

"I guess part of what that boy at the trial said was true," Chichi answered. "She _has_ been using drugs. Goku found her unconscious. She took too much, I suppose."

"WHAT?" Jenny cried, struggling to get to her feet. Piccolo pulled her back on the couch and she swatted at him. "Help… me…" she was rocking forward, trying to stand and Leelee grabbed her wrist, pulling her up. Jenny sucked in a lung-full of air, finally able to breathe properly again. "I wish this baby would come out already."

"So what does this mean?" Vegeta asked.

"They're going to try to get her some help. Goku's going to stay with her until she recovers."

"That could take weeks," Trunks protested. "Why don't they take her to the hospital?"

"That man she works for won't let them," Chichi said, shaking her head. "So silly. But Goku agrees with him. You all know how he reacts to doctors."

"Chichi, what can we do to help?" Krillin asked, getting to his feet.

Chichi was looking frightened. "I don't know. I don't think there's anything we can do."

"What'd she take?" Sabriena asked.

"Goku didn't say," Chichi answered.

"Isn't Gohan staying with her?" Trunks asked.

"No. I suppose they think he'd be too lenient on her," Chichi said. "They need someone who won't let her hurt herself again."

"You'd be good at that," Bulma said to Vegeta.

"I have my own brats to deal with," Vegeta responded coldly.

"Vegeta, I wish you'd have just a little compassion for others sometimes!" Bulma argued.

He heaved a sigh. "Fine. I'll see what I can do." He turned to his son, "Trunks, take me to them."

"We're coming, too," Catie said as she gathered her purse and coat.

"No, you're not," Vegeta barked. "If I'm going to assist with this mess Kakarot's brats have gotten themselves into, I don't need the likes of you in there mucking things up."

Trunks squeezed Catie's shoulders, then followed his father out the front door.

"I don't know where they're keeping her," Trunks said as he and Vegeta entered the warehouse through the garage door.

"Just look for Kakarot's energy. We'll find them."

They finally made their way to Yorgi's room where Trunks knocked at the door.

"Tell them I shoot the next person who comes prying up here!" Yorgi shouted.

The door creeked open and Yelena peered out at them, her intense, dark eyes staring coldly at them. "You're not welcome."

Vegeta shoved the door open and marched passed her.

"You can't come in here!" she protested.

"I AM NOT PLAYING!" Yorgi roared, withdrawing a pistol from the back of his pants. His patience had been pushed to the brink.

"Put that away, fool," Vegeta said.

"Vegeta!" Goku cried, sounding relieved. "What are you doing here?"

"You know this man?" Yorgi asked, staring down the length of his arm at Vegeta.

"He's all right, Yorgi," Goku assured.

Yorgi lowered his gun, "I haff no control in my own _fucking_ house anymore."

"Bulma sent me," Vegeta answered. "It was easier to come here than to listen to her nagging."

"Thanks, Vegeta," Goku said and sat back in the chair he'd been occupying since he'd arrived in the room.

"How is she?" Trunks said, trying to look at the young woman lying on the bed with the clear tubing coming from her arm.

"Sleeping," Goku answered.

"So what do we do now? Just sit around and wait for her to wake up?" Vegeta asked.

Goku nodded.

"What a waste of time," Vegeta growled.

"Hey, Trunks, why don't you go find Gohan? You probably shouldn't be around if she wakes up."

"Isn't there anything I can do to help?" Trunks asked, tearing his eyes away from the bed.

"Yeah, there is. You can keep Gohan busy and away from this room."

Trunks nodded and turned to leave.

"I'm serious, Trunks," Goku said. "Keep Gohan away from here."

"Got it."

"Man, you need to sit the fuck down," Xander scolded.

Gohan was pacing back and forth in Xander's room. "We should be doing something!"

Trunks opened the bedroom door, "Hey guys."

Xander tipped his chin up at Trunks, and he took that as his invitation to enter. He snapped the door shut behind him. "Man, it's bright in here."

"Someone's always a critic," Xander mumbled, swigging the beer he held in his hand.

The inside of Gohan's mouth was bleeding, he'd chewed on it so much. He ran his tongue along the inside of his cheek, wincing slightly. He looked up a Trunks. "I'm assuming you heard?" Gohan asked.

Trunks nodded.

"Great," Gohan snorted. "So that means everyone knows."

"Your dad called," Trunks said.

"What'd my mom say?"

"Just that we need to be supportive," Trunks answered.

"She didn't freak?"

Trunks shook his head.

Gohan's eyes widened, but he said nothing. He couldn't understand his mom passing by on an opportunity to scream at someone.

"Your mom freak out easy?" Xander asked.

"Yeah," Gohan nodded.

Xander smirked. "My mom's the same way. I used to drive that woman nuts."

"How'd you end up here, X?" Trunks asked, leaning back against the metal footboard of Xander's bed.

"My mom sent me up here to live with her sister after I got in trouble for stealing a car," Xander answered, studying the dark bottle in his hands. "But my aunt worked two jobs as a waitress. She couldn't keep tabs on me. She barely kept the lights on. I started partying, wound up hitting it off with Kolya. Been here ever since."

"Where are you from?" Trunks asked.

"L.A." Xander crossed his arms and stared at Trunks. "So explain how you got here."

Trunks blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

"We know you're Bulma's son, but there's only record of her having one kid, like, eight years ago. So how do you fit in with all this?"

Trunks gaped at him. "You saw my mom's medical records?"

Xander snickered. "Only because we couldn't figure out where the hell you came from."

Trunks looked to Gohan for help. Gohan shrugged, "Tell 'im. They know everything else already."

"What do you mean, everything?" Trunks asked.

"Nobody hides anything from Yorgi," Xander answered, swigging on his beer again. "So, c'mon, Mister Super Saiyan. Let's hear it."

Trunks shook his head for a moment, trying to understand it all. He finally decided there wasn't any harm in telling Xander the truth, they already knew too much about him as it was, and recounted the whole story to him. He told him about the androids from his time, about bringing the medicine back to save Goku, about Cell using the same time machine in an alternate timeline to come back to this one, about defeating the androids in his own time, and finally coming back to stay in this one after his mother was killed in an accident.

Xander sat silently, drinking his beer and staring at the floor, listening intently. "That's effed up, man." Xander looked up. "You really have the technology to time-travel?"

Trunks nodded.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Xander exclaimed. "Dude, you could be out exploring all kinds of shit! What the hell, bro?"

Trunks blinked. "I never really intended to use it for that."

Xander shook his head, looking at the floor again. What a waste. All the time periods he could explore, the adventures he could have, and no, the kid shows up in the American Midwest without so much as an inclination to discover what could be waiting in the past or future. He suddenly looked up and got to his feet. "You can travel through time. You could go back and save Lindsey before any of this happened!"

Trunks shook his head sadly. "It wouldn't change her in this time."

"Why not?" Xander demanded.

"It would only prevent it in that timeline. What has happened here is already done and cannot be undone. It's the same as destroying Cell in this time, but yet a future form of himself was able to travel back here."

Xander looked disappointed as he flopped back down into the gaming seat. "Laaaaame."

Gohan hadn't been paying attention. He knew the story and he'd even already given consideration to the time machine. He began to pace again.

"Your boy needs to chill out," Xander told Trunks. "He's making me dizzy."

"You try telling him that," Trunks answered in a hushed voice.

Xander polished off his bottle and pulled a second one from the opened cardboard box he had sitting next to his seat. He offered it to Trunks. "Want one?"

"I could use it," Trunks answered, accepting it and using his shirt to twist the top off.

"Gohan?" Xander asked, holding one out to him.

Gohan shook his head and continued to pace. "I can't stand being here while she's alone up there!"

"Our dads are with her," Trunks said. "She'll be okay."

"I should be with her," Gohan stated. "I'm going to see her."

"You're not going to help anything," Trunks said. "She's not even conscious anyway."

"Then what would it hurt?" Gohan asked.

Trunks shook his head slowly, "I don't know, but there's got to be a reason they don't want us up there. You just have to wait. I know this is hard…"

"No, you don't!" Gohan shouted at Trunks. "You have no idea what this is like. YOUR girlfriend is fine. She isn't in some self-inflicted, drug induced coma because you failed to protect her!"

Trunks didn't respond. He knew Gohan wasn't truly angry with him. But he did feel a bit guilty at Gohan's words. There had been several times over the past months that he'd been grateful their places weren't switched.

Gohan had stopped pacing and was staring hard at Trunks.

"You're right," Trunks said after a minute. "I don't know. But I do know that we just need to keep ourselves busy and out of the way so they can help her."

"And what do you suggest we do in the mean time?" Gohan asked sarcastically.

Trunks looked at Xander, his expression asking for help. Xander gazed at Trunks for a moment, then turned to Gohan. "Beer?"


	36. The Agreement

Lindsey didn't realize where she was at first. Moonlight streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the expansive room. She was lying on what was quite possibly the most comfortable bed she'd ever been in; the sheets were luxuriously smooth and cool. Her head felt like it was splitting in two. She rolled slowly to her left side and jumped when she saw Yorgi lying there.

He was lying flat on his back in a pair of dark pajama pants with his black robe left open across his chest. The moonlight glowed on his pale skin, making his tattoo stand out in high contrast. The dragon crawled up Yorgi's right ribcage from the waistband of his pants, across his chest, the spines splaying over half his neck. He had his arms tucked behind his head and was staring intently at the ceiling.

"Yorgi," Lindsey said in a loud whisper.

He turned his head towards her and smiled. "You're awake," he said in a low voice, sounding relieved.

"Why am I… oh gods… Yorgi, we didn't…?"

Yorgi actually laughed at that. "No, little dove. You are safe."

Lindsey heaved a sigh and flopped back against the squashy pillows. "How'd I get here?"

"He bring you here," Yorgi answered, nodding at someone across the room.

Lindsey leaned up, looking down the length of the bed, and saw Goku slumped over the big desk, his head on his arms, sound asleep in the chair. "Why?" she whispered.

"Do you not remember?" Yorgi asked her slowly.

Lindsey closed her eyes for a minute. "I remember getting dressed and going to the courthouse."

Yorgi rolled to his right side, propping himself up on his right elbow. "You remember inside courthouse?"

She shook her head slowly, the motion making her brain scream in protest. "No, just getting out of the SUV and walking towards it. I don't remember what happened after that."

Yorgi grabbed his forehead with his left hand for a minute, then heaved a sigh, running his fingers through his long, dark curls.

"What is it, Yorgi?" Lindsey asked. "Did I faint?"

"You lucky to be alive," he said softly.

Lindsey blinked at him. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"We know," Yorgi said, his hazel eyes burning into hers, even through the darkness.

A chill went up her spine. Knew what? She reached for him and felt a sharp pull in her right arm. Whipping her head around, she saw the IV tube running from her arm up to a half-filled bag of clear liquid. It hit her like a brick wall. She remembered. Now she understood why she felt so weak and nauseous. She turned back to Yorgi.

"Get this thing outta my arm," she stated.

"No," was his simple reply as he laid back on the bed.

"Yorgi, I'm serious," she insisted.

"I am too. Now, go to sleep."

"I can't sleep in here," she protested.

"Get used to it," he said as he shut his eyes. He'd been awake all night, making sure she was okay, and even though his watch wasn't over, he was going to rest for at least a minute.

"What do you mean, 'get used to it'?" she asked. "I'm taking this thing out of my arm and I'm going to MY bed." She began to peel the thick, extremely sticky tape from her arm.

"You stop," Yorgi commanded, leaning over her and grabbing her free arm.

"I'm not staying here!" she shouted at him as she tried to twist and wrench her wrist out of his grasp. All she wanted to do was to go back to her bathroom and lock herself inside with her pipe.

"Yes, you are," Yorgi growled, keeping a firm grip on her. "You not leaving until I say."

"LET… ME… GO!" she squirmed away from him and fell out of bed, yet he maintained his hold. "GET OFF ME, YORGI!"

"What is going on here?" came Vegeta's rough voice.

Lindsey looked up from her place on the floor. He rubbed his eyes and stared down at her. "He won't let me go," she whined.

"He's not supposed to," Vegeta replied. "You're staying here until you learn to overcome your addiction."

"I don't have an addiction!" Lindsey argued.

Vegeta snorted. "That's why Kakarot found you half-dead on the floor, right?"

"G-Goku found me?" she stammered.

Vegeta nodded.

"Well, I made a mistake, okay? I'm fine. Now let me go!" She tried yanking her arm away again. After struggling for a few minutes, she finally proclaimed, "You can't keep me here forever!"

"We can until you clean," Yorgi responded, still leaning over the bed, his grip like a vice.

"The fuck is this, an intervention?"

"You could call it that," Vegeta answered.

Lindsey's eyes went wide. "You gotta be kidding me!"

"Is no joke," Yorgi said in his slow, quiet voice. "You here until I say otherwise."

"You cannot hold me against my will!" Shouting was making her head hurt even worse and the room was starting to spin slightly.

"You want to go? Fine," Yorgi said releasing her suddenly and she fell back against the floor. "But know this, if you leave this room, you leave Anarchy 99. Forever."

Lindsey gaped at him in disbelief. "You wouldn't."

Yorgi sat up in bed, pushing his hair out of his face. He looked stern.

"Yorgi!" she cried. "You'd kick me out of Anarchy 99? Me?!"

He gave one slow nod. "I do not want to. But I will not tolerate this in my home."

She could feel the tears welling up in her eyes again. They didn't understand. She needed it to be normal. She couldn't function anymore with out her drugs. They made her happy and silly again, just like she was before. She brought her knees up to her chin, staring at the floor, thinking. Which did she want more?

"You have to stop, Lins," came Goku's voice. He knelt beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. She shrugged him off. "Fine," he said. "If that's the way you want to be about it. But you will not marry my son until you get yourself straightened out."

Lindsey snorted at that. "Yeah, your wife tried that, remember? You see how well that worked out."

"It's different this time. I'M putting my foot down," Goku threatened.

"Yeah, ooookay," Lindsey answered sarcastically, still resting her chin on her knees.

"Lindsey, I mean it," Goku repeated.

"You know he's an adult and we can do what we want, right?" She was feeling beyond irritated and attacked. She knew Gohan loved her and it wouldn't matter what anyone said, not even Goku.

Without a word, Goku stood and left the room, heading to wake up Gohan. He found Gohan in Xander's room by following his energy. Gohan was still pacing the floor. Xander had fallen asleep, sprawled out chest-down across the huge sheep-skin rug on the floor and Trunks was now sitting in the gaming chair beside him, his focus on the TV. Even with the lights out, the electric blue walls reflected the light of the TV, making the room fairly light.

"How is she?" Gohan exclaimed as soon as he saw his dad.

"She's awake," Goku answered, his tone serious.

"Can I see her?" Gohan asked eagerly.

"Yes, but she's not herself, Gohan. You have to understand that."

Trunks paused the game and turned to them. "Is there anything you need us to do?"

"Yes," Goku said, looking at Gohan. "Son, I have to ask you to do the hardest thing you've ever done in your life."

"What's that, dad?" Gohan asked nervously.

"You have to trust me, okay? It's the only way to save her."

Lindsey was still sitting on the floor with her arms wrapped around her knees. It was getting terribly cold and she was beginning to shiver. She heard the door click and looked up.

"Gohan!" she exclaimed, getting to her feet.

He froze in his tracks. She looked horrible. There were dark circles under her eyes and her shoulders were bony and shivering. Her collar bones were showing painfully under her pale skin and the bruises on her arms left no question as to what had caused this transformation.

Goku stepped between them. "You have a choice to make now. You can either stay here, get better and marry Gohan, or you can walk out that door and lose everything that's important to you."

Lindsey looked at Gohan. "Gohan, they've all gone nuts. There's nothing wrong with me! I swear!"

Gohan fixed her with a sad stare. "Yes, there is. And you have to get better. We can't keep going on like this."

"I am better!" she cried. "Haven't you noticed that?"

"I thought you were getting better," Gohan admitted. "But you had me fooled. You're worse now than you ever were."

The tears were really coming now. "How can you say that?"

"Lindsey, you know it's true," he said, taking a step towards her. Goku put his arm out to stop him. Gohan took a deep breath and said, "If you don't accept their help, then… then I'm afraid it's over between us." The words tasted sour in his mouth. He hated himself for saying it to her. All he wanted to do was to rush to her, hold her, tell her she was safe and that he loved her more than life itself. He wanted to take her away from all of this, to make it all better again. It was taking every bit of will power he had to just stand there, saying these things he didn't really mean. Deep down, he didn't think he could ever leave her, no matter what she did. But he had to make her think he would, he had to back her into a corner, so she'd have no choice but to recover.

Lindsey felt like she'd been hit in the chest with a sledgehammer. He couldn't be serious. But the cold look on his face told her he meant it. She'd never seen him look so distant from her. She was panicked.

"Don't you love me anymore?" she asked. The vulnerability in her voice was heartbreaking.

"Of course I do," he answered softly. "More than anything. That's why you have to get over this. We have no future together if you don't."

"Gohan…" she started.

"You need to make your decision now," Goku said. "This is the last time you will see him until you are healthy again."

"No, please, don't do this to me," Lindsey whined.

"You did this to yourself," Goku said. "But we will help you, if you want us to."

"NO!" she shouted, stomping her foot like a child demanding a toy. "Don't you understand what I've been through? Don't you care?!"

"Do you know what I've been through?" Gohan shot back. "This isn't just affecting you, ya know! I love you, dammit, but you're not the only one who's hurting here! Don't you get it? You're only causing more pain by doing this!"

Angry tears were burning her eyes. "I was trying to get better for YOU."

Gohan snorted. "Really? Getting blasted out of your brain day in and day out was to help me? How did you work that one out?"

"The nightmares? Being scared of everyone? Sex? You didn't notice a change at all?"

"That wasn't you!" Gohan argued, his ears burning red. He couldn't believe she'd mentioned sex in front of his dad. "It was all a lie! You lied to me!"

"God, my head," she moaned, rubbing her forehead.

"Don't change the subject," Gohan scolded.

"I'm not changing the subject," she hissed, still pressing her hand to her forehead.

"Either you love me or you don't," he spat. "Either you want to spend the rest of our lives together, or you want to throw away everything we've worked for! After everything we've been through, EVERYTHING we've been through, you're just going to walk away? Don't I mean anything to you?!"

"Gohan," she paused to lick her lips. She couldn't lose him. She'd lost so much already. Gohan was the only thing in her life that was safe and stable. "I'm scared," she whispered. It was the first real truth she'd spoken to him in awhile.

"You'll be okay," Gohan said.

She stood silently for a long moment, the choices swirling painfully through her head.

"Please," he begged, "don't give up now."

She nodded. "Okay. I'll do it for you."

Gohan heaved a sigh of relief. He pushed passed his dad and wrapped her in a tight hug. She was already shivering against his chest. "You'll be okay, I promise," he whispered to her.

She was terrified. She knew the dreams would come back, the horrible memories, the fear… She didn't know how she was going to handle it. Without her escape, without her friends, without Gohan… It was too much. She began to cry into his shirt. His strong hand rubbed her back for a minute, and then he pulled away from her.

"I'll miss you," he said sadly.

"I already miss you," she answered, scrubbing at the tears that continued to fall.

"Time to go, Gohan," Goku said, taking his son by the shoulders and steering him towards the door.

"I-I love you!" she called, trying to contain the sobs that tightened her throat. She wanted to follow him, to hug him one last time, but the IV tube yanked her back again.

"Love you, too," Gohan answered, glancing back over his shoulder at her as he left the room.

Lindsey sat back down on Yorgi's bed and fought her tears. Her shoulders shook as the hot tears fell from her eyes. She pressed her fist to her mouth, holding her breath, trying to hold it in.

Vegeta was standing with his back to her, still as a statue, staring out the window over the vast grounds. Yorgi was busying himself with some papers that were strewn across his desk.

"Damn it, you blew the vein," Yelena scolded, bending over and looking at the now red-filled tube in Lindsey's arm. She removed the current IV and pressed a wad of gauze to it. Lindsey was still straining to control her emotions as Yelena stuck her with a fresh IV and taped it to her arm. "Don't pull on this one." She gathered up the used supplies and headed out of the room.

Goku sat next to her on the bed. "You want a hug?" he asked kindly.

Lindsey nodded her head violently and fell against his chest, still holding her arms across herself, her hand to her mouth. He placed a heavily muscled arm around her back and gave her a long squeeze.

Something in her broke then. The fear of losing Gohan, the terror of breaking her habits, the comfort of a father figure holding her for the first time in years… She began to sob, openly and loudly, a dam of emotions bursting forth.

"It's okay," Goku soothed. "Cry."

She was nearly screaming, she was crying so hard. She leaned into his chest, tears flowing freely, leaving big wet spots on his shirt. He didn't seem to mind. She was so angry and scared. She started to cough and gasp for air.

"Breathe," he said calmly. "You have to breathe."

She suddenly stood, swaying on the spot. "Gonna… be sick," she choked out between sobs.

Yorgi firmly placed a trashcan at her feet without breaking step as he continued across the room to his bathroom, banging the door shut behind him. He refused to show weakness to anyone, but vomit was something he just couldn't stand if he could avoid it.

Still crying, she fell to her knees, leaning over the bin, slicking her dreadlocks back with her hands. She was breathing hard, her stomach churning. She was trying to take deep breaths, trying to hold it back, but she was crying so hard, she couldn't stop it. She retched violently into the trashcan.

Vegeta cringed at the sound of it.

"I'm sorry," she gagged.

"You're alright," Goku said, kneeling next to her.

"I've ruined everything," she cried.

"No, you haven't," he said. "You just made a bad decision."

She was starting to hurt all over. "I'm so cold," she whined.

"Come on, then," Goku said, grabbing her by her shoulders and hauling her to her feet. He sat her on the bed and pulled the blankets up over her lap. She pulled them to cover her shoulders, shivering violently. She was shaking so hard, she felt like she was going to fall apart at her joints. She was miserably cold and aching all over.

Goku pressed a hand to her forehead. "You're burning up."

She shook her head vigorously. "Cold."

"Yorgi!" Goku called.

The dark-haired Russian marched out of the bathroom, straight for the bed.

"She feels like she's on fire."

"I'm cold," she insisted, still shaking as sweat began to roll down her face.

Yorgi crawled into bed beside her, wrapping one arm around her shoulders as he pulled his cell phone from the pocket of his robe. He tapped out a text message, then put the phone back in his pocket.

"Y-Yorg-gi," she stuttered, straining to control her shaking.

"Is she really that cold?" Goku asked, staring at her in disbelief. Sure, the room was a bit chilly, but not that bad.

Yorgi shook his head, trying to hold her steady as she continued to shake. He turned his attention back to her, his shoulders shaking from her violent fit, trying to calm her. "Shh, shh, shh."

She was making pitiful choking noises, still crying as she convulsed over and over. She looked up as Yelena rushed back into the room, her silk robe pulled tight around her. She reached into the bag that sat on the floor next to the headboard and pulled out a small penlight. She shone it in Lindsey's eyes briefly, then stuck a thermometer in her ear.

"She's in withdrawal already," Yelena stated. "We have to bring her temperature down." She yanked the covers away and reached for the bag again.

"I'm cold!" she whimpered.

"No, you're not," Yelena said firmly. "Now take this." She pressed the ibuprofen in Lindsey's hand and handed her a bottle of water.

Lindsey popped the pills in her mouth, but her hands were shaking so violently she couldn't open the bottle. Yelena cracked the cap off and tilted the bottle to Lindsey's lips as Yorgi gripped her chin, trying to steady her face and catch any water that dripped. She managed to swallow, half-choking as she did so. Yelena thumped her on the back.

"Owwww," Lindsey groaned. Every inch of her ached.

She hadn't realized how incredibly addicted she had been. She wanted her fix more than ever before.

"Can't I have just a little bit?" she asked.

"No," Goku answered firmly.

"But, just to take the edge off…"

Goku shook his head, his dark eyes serious.

She was rocking forward from the shakes, "P-Please?!" She wrapped her arms around herself, convulsing terribly. "If I have just a little, I can wean myself off."

"No," Goku repeated, drawing out the word. "You gotta get past this."

This was horrible. She'd never felt like this in her life. Aching all over, freezing to death, nauseous as could be, and no escape this time. She wished Gohan was with her.

Gohan.

His name was the only thought that could make her go through this. Without him, there was no reason to live anymore. She couldn't let him down. Again.

"Keep an eye on her," Yelena said, setting the thermometer on the bedside table. "If her fever doesn't go down in an hour, you call me again."

"Thank you, my love," Yorgi responded.

She gave him a tiny smile and excused herself from the room. In the darkness of the hallway, she leaned back against the heavy gilded door and sighed.

"How is she?" came a soft voice.

Yelena jumped and choked back a scream as Kirill appeared before her out of the darkness.

"Not good," Yelena answered. "You staying awake?"

Kirill nodded.

"You watch this door," Yelena said. "Do not let anyone in, you understand?"

Always eager to please her, Kirill nodded.

"Good," she said and continued on her way back to her room.

Lighting his cigarette, the sniper moved to lean against the corner of the hallway, giving him the best vantage point. He rested his hand on the gleaming black pistol on his hip, his keen green eyes peering through the darkness, his head wreathed in smoke. No one was coming down that hallway without permission. He would make sure of that.


	37. Catie's New Look

"At least she's sleeping now," Goku sighed. Two hours of watching Lindsey shake and convulse, sweating like crazy, crying and begging for the drugs her body had become so dependant on, had wore him out. He sat on the corner of the bed, leaning against the huge wooden bedpost, and wiped his forehead with his arm. "Man, this is intense."

"Is not over yet," Yorgi said, stifling a yawn.

"You think she's going to wake back up?" Goku asked.

Yorgi nodded.

Goku stared at the sleeping girl for a minute. "Then you get some rest," Goku said. "At least for a little bit. You've been up all night."

"You sure?" Yorgi asked.

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'll watch her."

Yorgi was truly appreciative. "Thank you, my friend." He stretched out on the opposite side of the bed from Lindsey, lying on his side facing away from her, and yanked the covers up over his shoulder. He groaned as he stretched, then was quiet.

"Do you think she's going to get over this?" Vegeta asked, standing next to Goku.

"I don't know, Vegeta. But I'm going to do everything I can to help her."

Catie hadn't slept well at all. Trunks wasn't in bed next to her as he usually was and she was worried about her friend. She tossed and turned all night, finally taking an extremely long shower at about four in the morning and she now sat in her guest room at the farm house, pulling on her running shoes. She doubted Vegeta would be back for their morning training session, but she wasn't going to slack off just because he was gone. She stood and looked at her reflection in the door mounted full length mirror.

She sighed and ran her fingers through her long brown hair. "I need something new," she muttered to herself.

The cold October wind hit her full in the face as she stepped outside, taking her breath away for a moment. She wasn't used to cold weather like this. She was more accustomed to the warm, sultry weather of her home in southern California.

She took off down the long, tree lined driveway. It was still rather dark, but she didn't mind. She just had to do something and lying in bed, worrying and wondering, wasn't helping anything. The only sound this early in the morning was the crunch of gravel beneath her shoes. She reached the end of the driveway, jogging in place for a moment while she considered her direction. She knew she'd end up there at some point that day anyway, so she shrugged her shoulders and turned left down the highway, running just along the edge of the asphalt, heading for town.

Everything around her was changing. Jenny was getting ready to start a new chapter in her life; she was so close to the end of her pregnancy. She was going to be a mom and even though no one close to Catie had a baby, she knew that Jenny's life would be forever changed. No more parties, no more boosts… she wondered if Jenny would continue to train. Jenny may have been a handful and enjoyed her share of annoying Vegeta, but deep down she respected him.

Catie knew there would be a point soon, where everyone would return to Japan. But who would go and who would stay? Their lives had become so entwined with members of Anarchy 99, could she just pack up and leave them? And what about Lindsey? When she recovered (Catie refused to say if) would she want to return to Japan with Gohan's family? Or would she try to convince him to stay there?

Sabriena had been miserable in Japan. Her relationship with Tumbler was getting pretty serious now and she loved her party life at the warehouse. Booze, men, cars, money – there was nothing more she needed in life. Sabriena was perfectly content where she was.

Catie imagined Leelee would return home to Japan with Seventeen. She was so wrapped up in him, there would be no way she'd question him when the time came that he decided it was time to go home. Leelee adored Japan almost as much as she loved Seventeen.

She imagined Jenny would return with Piccolo to live at the lookout. But what if she didn't? She had her own family here, too. Somehow, Catie just couldn't see Piccolo giving up everything he had back home to stay in Midwestern America. He was glaringly out of place here.

And what about herself? It had been nearly a year since she'd her own family. Did she want to take Trunks to the west coast? She couldn't imagine her life without him. Just the thought of being separated from him pierced her heart with fear. But he was so close with his mom. And he finally had his dad in his life, which was something he'd grown up without. She knew what that meant to him. She couldn't ask him to walk away from that now, yet she missed her own family, too.

What if they all went their separate ways? She tried to imagine herself on the beach at home with Trunks, Jenny and Leelee thousands of miles away in Japan, while Sabriena and Lindsey stayed in Missouri. She just couldn't fathom it. Her friends had been within arm's reach for nearly a year now. Being so far away from them with nothing to keep them together but computer screens, text messages and phone calls? The thought of it made her stomach hurt.

Her breath misted the frosty air before her as she jogged down the sidewalk of the main street in town. She was surprised at how fast she'd run the five miles into town. Training with Vegeta was paying off in a big way. She'd never been in such great shape.

A hair salon caught her eye as she went jogging by. She bounced backwards a few steps, staring at the storefront as the lights were coming on. The girls inside were sweeping up and setting out their supplies, some of them nursing Styrofoam cups of coffee. Bouncing foot to foot, Catie fingered her hair, considering. She drew a deep breath and headed for the front door of the shop.

"LET ME GOOOOOOOOO!" Lindsey half-screamed, half-sobbed. She was bent double, Yorgi's arms around her waist, holding her there. His face was tense from the effort of restraining her. Early morning light glared through the big windows and Yorgi secretly vowed to put up black-out curtains at his earliest opportunity.

"Stop!" he commanded. "Little dove, you must stop!"

"I can't!" she wailed. She was desperate. She'd do anything at that moment to feel normal again. She longed for the rush, the energy, the confidence. She felt horrible. Sweating and shaking, dry heaving because there was nothing left in her system to puke up, the vivid dreams plaguing her all night long, aching all over, it was simply too much. She screamed, her face near her knees as she hung from Yorgi's grasp. She clawed at his hands, but he refused to let go.

Yorgi was regretting sending both Vegeta and Goku to breakfast at the same time. He was hungry himself, and exceptionally tired from dealing with her the night before. Even if he could just sit and have a cup of coffee for a moment, anything would help at this point. He was surprised at her strength and was struggling to maintain his grip. His face was starting to hurt and he knew he must have been turning red. He spat Russian curse words at her, leaning back, trying to counter the pull of her weight.

"GET OFF ME!" she threw her elbow back, catching him in the ribs.

Yorgi gasped for air, but kept his hold on her. "That's…. it…." he growled and began to walk backwards towards his bathroom, dragging her along with him as she kicked and screamed. With a heave, he lifted her up, her back against his chest as he hit the bathroom door with his shoulder-blades. The door banged open and he continued to walk backwards into the immense bathroom. Rolling his torso to the right, he unceremoniously dropped Lindsey, fully clothed, into the six-person Jacuzzi with a loud SPLASH.

He stood there panting, his shoulders heaving, staring at her as she jumped up, gasping for air, wiping the water from her face. Water slopped over the sides, sending mini-waves across the tile floor.

"Stupid… bitch…" he choked out.

"You… you…" she stammered. There weren't curse words strong enough to describe what she thought of him at that moment.

"You stay there!" he barked.

"You can't keep me here like this!" she screamed. "You're not my father!"

"I THE CLOSEST THING YOU GOT!" he bellowed.

They stood there, staring at each other, both of them shaking with anger.

"RAH!" Yorgi yelled, giving both arms one hard shake to rid them of the water she'd splashed on him. "You stay there," he repeated in a deathly tone.

Lindsey blinked at him, then slunk into the water, barely keeping her nose above the waterline, crossing her arms and pouting.

Yorgi slapped a button on the side of the hot tub and the jets whirred to life, filling the small pool with bubbles. He turned on his heel and marched back to his bedroom. "Stupid bitch," he repeated as he pulled off his soaking wet pajama pants and kicked aside his slippers. They were soaked and wouldn't be dry for days. He grumbled to himself as he put on a dry boxers and gathered a pair of dark jeans and a long-sleeved shirt from his closet. He was pulling on the jeans when the door banged open.

"Oh, what now… oh, it you," he said when he saw Goku and Vegeta entering the room.

Goku blinked at the heavily tattooed man who was struggling to pull on a pair of jeans. "Everything okay?"

Yorgi nodded as he yanked the jeans up, buttoning them and yanking the zipper. "She is nightmare."

"Something happen while we were gone?" Goku asked, his eyes wide.

"She try to leave again," Yorgi answered, pulling the shirt over his head and shaking his hair out. He tugged the shirt down, covering the large dragon on his side and tucked the shirt into his jeans.

"Did you stop her?" Goku asked.

Yorgi nodded again.

"Then where is she?" Vegeta asked.

Yorgi looked down his nose with a smirk. "Swimming." He pulled on his heavy black boots and stood, shaking his hair again.

Vegeta and Goku looked at each other with puzzled expressions as Yorgi pointed at the bathroom door. "I have breakfast now," he stated and crossed the room with long, determined steps and slammed the door behind him.

Goku laughed aloud as he and Vegeta entered the bathroom and saw her sitting in the hot tub, still in her black shirt and fancy skirt.

"Enjoying yourself?" Vegeta asked, sneering at her.

She glowered at him, raising her chin above the water. "This outfit is dry-clean only," she hissed.

Goku was doubled over, laughing. "You deserve it."

She pressed her lips together, her face getting hot. She sunk back lower into the tub.

Goku caught his breath, pressing a hand to his mouth to stop his laughing. "Aw, c'mon, you have to admit this is funny."

"I see no humor in it," she answered dryly.

Vegeta left the bathroom, muttering, "Ridiculous."

Goku gripped the side of the hot tub, looking it over. "Man, this is nice."

Lindsey looked away from him, staring at the walls of the nook that surrounded the hot tub. Italian marble tiles covered the walls and made a ledge around three sides of the tub. Goku pulled off his boots and rolled his pant legs up to his knees, then climbed onto the ledge of the tub, dangling his feet in the hot water. "This isn't so bad," he remarked.

"I don't see you getting in, in your clothes," she snapped.

"Is that why you're all bent out of shape?" he asked.

She continued to stare at the wall.

Goku slid into the tub, his orange gi billowing around him. "See? No big deal."

Lindsey gawked at him. "You are so weird."

He tipped his head to the side. "I'm trying to make a point," he said. "It's okay to laugh at yourself."

"I still see no humor in this," she pouted.

Goku shook his head. "You're hopeless," he told her, lacing his fingers together and placing them behind his head. He settled back in to the seat, the jets of hot water shooting against his back.

Vegeta returned, carrying a frosty bottle of water. "Kakarot! What are you doing?"

"Hmm?" Goku asked, looking up at him. "Trying to get her to smile."

"Baka," Vegeta spat, setting the bottle on the side of the tub. "You need to drink that," he instructed Lindsey.

She huffed, but cracked the top off and swallowed the icy water down.

Yorgi had just sat down at the dining table, a huge plate of bacon, eggs, and toast in front of him. He had a large cup of coffee steaming next to his hand. "Black, like my soul," he whispered to himself. The dining room was empty and silent. He smiled and sipped the coffee, enjoying the moment. Grabbing his fork, he stabbed at his eggs, just as the door banged open.

Closing his eyes, Yorgi sighed and set the fork down on the edge of his plate.

"How is she?" Gohan asked eagerly, sitting down at the table. He hadn't expected Yorgi to be there. In fact, he didn't want to come to breakfast at all, but Trunks had insisted on it. They sat at the table to the left of Yorgi, and Gohan leaned his arms on the table, staring intently at Yorgi.

"Alive," Yorgi answered, picking his fork up again.

"Can I see her?"

"No," Yorgi replied, moving the fork towards his face.

"Why not?" Gohan demanded.

Yorgi sat the fork down once again, folded his hands together and rested his chin on them. "Because you made her a deal. She cannot see you until she is well. If you break that promise, then she will not uphold her end of the deal. She will see you do not mean it and she will relapse."

Gohan's shoulders drooped.

"I'll get you some breakfast, buddy," Trunks said, slapping Gohan on the shoulder. He stood and walked through the swinging double doors to the kitchen.

Yorgi waited a moment more for another interruption he felt was coming before reaching once more for his fork. No sooner had he picked it up, however, than the dining room door banged once more. Yorgi's fork fell back to the plate with a clatter.

"What?" he barked.

Catie blinked at him. "Just came to say hello."

Gohan's eyes went wide. "What did you DO?"

Catie looked at him nervously. "You hate it, don't you?" she asked, touching her hair.

"Trunks is gonna kill you," Gohan answered. He could tell it wasn't a wig this time.

Trunks backed through the doors, carrying two extremely laden plates with him. He set them on the table before he noticed Catie.

"Hey, Cat! What are you…" his voice trailed off as he stared at her hair.

The left side of Catie's head was buzzed to just a fraction of an inch long. Half the hair she had left was streaked with big chunks of blue bright enough to match Xander's bedroom walls.

"I love you," she answered nervously.

"Um, why?" he asked.

"Because I do!" she answered, her voice rising. "What kind of a question is that?"

"No, I know that. I meant, WHY?" he pointed at what used to be her hair.

She grabbed a lock of blue hair and began playing with it. "Because I wanted something new. I wanted something different."

"Well, you definitely nailed it, then," Trunks said as he sat down and tucked into his breakfast. Catie was hurt.

"Let me see," Yorgi said, looking up at her. From his position at her side, he couldn't see the shaved portion of her head. She turned, showing him.

Yorgi smiled. "Very punk rock. I like."

Catie gave a half-smile. "Thanks."

"Get you some breakfast," Yorgi instructed, grabbing his fork and popping a bite in his mouth before anyone else could interrupt.

Catie returned a few minutes later and sat on Yorgi's other side, facing Trunks. She picked at her food, watching Trunks and Gohan shovel theirs down. Paying them no attention, Yorgi calmly ate and sipped his coffee. He certainly wasn't in any hurry to get back to his room. As the boys finally finished their breakfast, Gohan pushed his empty plate away and sat back, stretching.

Trunks gathered the plates and stood to take them to the kitchen. Catie followed him.

"You hate my hair," she said sadly.

"Huh?" he asked, setting them in the large basin of the sink. "No I don't."

"You certainly didn't seem impressed," she moped.

He turned towards her. "Catie, I haven't slept in twenty-four hours. I'm sorry I'm a little cranky."

"Why didn't you sleep?" she asked.

"I've been up keeping Gohan sane and away from Lindsey," Trunks answered. "And I think he's getting ready to crash. I'd like to go to sleep sometime soon, too. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I just wasn't expecting that."

Catie nodded. "I didn't sleep hardly at all, either."

"Well, let's chuck Gohan in bed and go lay down."

"Have you seen Lindsey?" Catie asked.

"Barely," Trunks said. "I saw her lying in bed with an IV, but she was across the room and I didn't want to get too close."

"It's not like you were going to catch something from her," Catie scolded.

"It was a bit tense when I got there," he answered impatiently. "I was trying not to pry."

Catie bit her bottom lip. Damn his good manners.

He caught her chin and lifted her face to his. "She's going to be okay. Father and Goku are with her. But we need to try to rest. She wouldn't want us getting sick."

"Okay," Catie whispered and wrapped her arms around him.

They convinced Gohan to go try to lay down for a bit and he finally consented, since his eyes were barely open and he kept nodding his head, snapping it back up at he fought to stay awake. They walked him to Lindsey's room, then wordlessly returned to their own, kicking off their shoes and flopping down on the bed without pulling the blankets back. Catie rolled to her side and Trunks curled up around her and they both gave in to exhaustion, falling asleep within minutes.

Yorgi returned to his bedroom, carefully balancing a plate in one hand and a cup of heavily creamed and sugared coffee in the other. He headed straight for the bathroom and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of Goku sitting there, chatting away. He narrowed his eyes at the Saiyan.

Lindsey, who was holding her breath and had only her eyes above the water, looked at Yorgi with an expression that said, "I have no idea what's going on."

Yorgi sighed and said, "Get yourself out of there," to Lindsey who gratefully exited the tub, her ruined skirt dripping all over the place. "I have your breakfast. I bring you new clothes." He returned to the bedroom, setting the plate on a small table near the big windows. He grabbed the bag Kolya had brought of her things and pulled out a pair of gray yoga pants and a blue tank, a few other items, and took them to her. As he exited once again, Goku followed, shutting the door behind him.

"I guess I'd better change clothes too," Goku laughed, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. He was slightly embarrassed, especially with the way Yorgi and Vegeta were looking at him.

Yorgi stared at Goku with disgust as the sopping wet man dripped all over his highly polished floor. He growled the Russian word for "idiot."

"I may not speak your language," Vegeta said with a smirk, "but I know exactly what you mean."

Author's Note: I see lots of people reading, but no comments. Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Once again, it's been awhile since I've written anything. Let me know what you think!


	38. A Party for Jenny

Jenny sat in one of the big, winged armchairs near the fireplace. She wore dressy black maternity pants and a flowing blue top. The fire crackled and popped, the only noise in the room. She knew that the quiet was to be short-lived. Within half an hour, all of her lady friends would fill the elegant living room, bringing with them mountains of presents. She was feeling a bit awkward. She prayed they hadn't planned any silly shower games.

The baby kicked and Jenny stared at her tummy as she watched it move. This baby was vicious, she laughed to herself. The baby went still for a moment as Jenny felt her stomach tighten – the false contractions were already starting. She was excited about the baby coming, but she longed to have her body back. It was infuriating trying to keep up with Catie during their training sessions and Piccolo was afraid to do more than give her the occasional hug, although he constantly told her how beautiful she was.

"I has a present!" Catie proclaimed, carrying a large package into the living room and setting it down next to Jenny's chair. "You're gorgeous." She planted a big kiss on Jenny's forehead.

"Ewwww," Jenny giggled, scrubbing her head with the heel of her hand.

"You like it," Catie said and flopped down in the chair across from Jenny.

"Hnnn!" Leelee grunted, pulling a ridiculously large present through the doorway as Sabriena pushed on the other side.

"What on earth?" Jenny asked.

"Yorgi… made us…" Leelee panted. She paused to catch her breath. "Oh, screw this." Leelee's hair suddenly turned to wisps of smoke about her face and shoulders and the gift went spinning into the air, landing nicely beside Catie's present.

"Nice," Sabriena said appreciatively.

"Now, girls, your powers are only for fighting," came Chichi's voice as the front door banged closed against the blustery cold air.

"Heh… sorry," Leelee blushed.

Chichi smiled nicely at them and set down the box she was carrying. "Well this will be fun. It's about time we had something to smile about."

Bulma and Eighteen added their gifts to the pile that was growing next to Jenny's chair.

"Thanks, you all," Jenny said, "you guys didn't have to do that."

"We wanted to," Bulma smiled.

The room was soon full of presents and friends, there had been a caterer hired for the event and the ladies sipped punch and champagne and munched on hor'd'ourves, some of them telling horror stories about their labor experiences.

"Twenty-six hours of hard labor, can you believe it?"

"She coded! I was in the room with her, and all of a sudden, she just stopped breathing! I thought my sister was going to die right there in front of me!"

"I didn't give a shit. I wasn't going into labor on an empty stomach. I sat right there and ate my fried chicken and mashed potatoes. He was mad at me, but I didn't give a damn."

"Amniotic fluid all over my mom's shoes. She screamed at me that I'd pissed on her."

"That epidural is a bitch. They had to do it twice! Anesthesiologist didn't get it in right the first time. OH MY GOD. Never felt pain like that in my life."

Jenny was starting to look a little green. Why on earth would you tell a horror story about having a baby to someone who was getting ready to do the exact same thing? What a terrible thing to say to a person. Yet there were plenty of stories to go around.

"Okay, how about we let Jenny open some presents?" Catie announced loudly, seeing the sickening expression on Jenny's face.

Jenny spent the better part of an hour opening present after present, receiving outfits, blankets, stuffed toys, bottles, rattles, teething rings, diapers, and a whole host of other baby-related items. While she appreciated everything, she was finding herself more and more overwhelmed. All this stuff just to take care of one tiny person?

She ripped the paper off of Yorgi's gift last. She gasped when she saw the ornate, hand-carved baby crib he'd ordered for her. She'd never seen something so beautiful in her life.

"Wow," Jenny breathed. She suddenly couldn't wait to get it set up. But which set of sheets would she use on it? The pink? Or the blue? She was starting to go nuts trying to figure it out. She'd almost broken down at her last appointment and asked.

"Do you like it?" Yelena asked, sipping a flute of champagne.

Jenny nodded vigorously. "It's amazing!"

Yelena's lips curved up slightly. "We thought you might."

"This was a wonderful party," Jenny said to the group of women around her. "Thank you all so much."

"And thanks for no stupid games!" Sabriena added as the other ladies laughed.

The door that led from the living room to the dining room suddenly burst open. Kolya strolled through the door, carrying a huge, five-tiered cake.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Sabriena scolded.

"You hush," Kolya answered, setting the cake in Jenny's lap. It was much lighter than it appeared. Upon closer inspection, Jenny realized that the "cake" was made of diapers that had been rolled up tightly and bound together with pink and blue ribbon. The cake was decorated with pacifiers, small toys, ointments, outfits, and a huge bow on top.

"This is awesome!" Jenny cried.

"Where on earth did you get that, Kolya?" Catie asked, looking the cake over.

"Lindsey make it for you," Kolya answered, stepping back. "She ask Yorgi to have me bring it to you."

Jenny's heart fell. In all the excitement from the party, she hadn't even noticed Lindsey's absence.

"How is she?" Chichi asked, concerned.

"She better," Kolya answered. "But Yorgi still keep her upstairs. At least she stopped puking everywhere." He made a disgusted face and shook his head. "She stay busy with shit like this." Kolya obviously saw little need for craft projects, especially ones designed for babies.

"Thank you, Kolya," Yelena said in a dismissive sort of way.

He nodded and bowed deeply, backing out of the room with a flourish as the girls laughed at him.

Sabriena sighed dreamily. "God, he's so hot."

Leelee cocked an eyebrow at her. "What about Tumbler?"

"I can appreciate a nice piece of eye-candy," Sabriena smirked, swigging her champagne.

Leelee giggled and shook her head.

As friends and family started to leave or return to their various parts of the house, Catie, Sabriena and Leelee stayed behind to pick up wrapping paper and gather up the presents.

"That crib is breath-taking," Leelee said appreciatively.

Jenny nodded, sipping her sparkling juice. No champagne for her, even though her doctor had told her one glass a week was acceptable.

"You going to set it up in your room?"

"I guess. We don't really have anywhere else to put it," Jenny answered thoughtfully. "Although, if we ever go back to Japan…" she trailed off.

"You've been thinking it too," Catie said, her head snapping around to look at Jenny.

Jenny sighed, staring at the delicate piece of stemware in her hand. "I don't know what to think. This is my home, but it's not exactly the best place to raise a baby."

"Piccolo's not going to want to stay here forever," Leelee added. "And neither is Seventeen or Trunks."

"I'm kind of surprised they've lasted this long," Jenny said, raising the crystal to her lips again.

"Well, we all thought there was going to be a wedding," Leelee stated.

"Leelee!" Catie cried.

"What? I'm not being flip, but things aren't exactly going according to plan."

"They're still getting married," Catie said with determination in her voice. "They have to."

* * *

Lindsey ran her fingers through her short, red hair, leaning over the drafting desk Yorgi had set up in his room for her. She scratched away at the paper, one leg propped up on the stool she sat on so her knee was above her shoulder as she worked. She'd gotten bored that day and took the dreadlocks out herself.

She'd been left alone for the first time in two weeks. She spent the early morning putting the finishing touches on the diaper cake for Jenny and then busied herself with sketches ever since. She had to have something to focus her nervous energy into. She'd finally gotten past the stage of shaking and vomiting, with the sudden swings from hot to cold and the urge to beat the living dog snot out of the three men who watched her day and night. Her mood was unpredictable at best and going off on someone for no reason at all wasn't exactly something she wanted to do, either. But she still wasn't allowed to step out of the room. She still got hit with cravings often and she was terribly afraid she'd relapse.

In fact, she'd had a craving so strong that morning after they'd left her alone, she attempted to sneak out of the room. Her escape was short-lived when she'd found herself staring down the barrel of Kirill's pistol.

The door creaked open as Goku stepped into the room. "Hey, you changed your hair!"

"Nice to see you, too," she answered, not looking up from her work.

"I brought you a cappuccino," he offered tantalizingly.

She paused and looked up at him out of the corner of her eye. "French vanilla?"

"Mm-hmm. Just the way you like it. From Casey's, too."

She eyed the brown Styrofoam cup that bore the gas station's logo. She snatched it from his hand and took a long drink. "My preciousssss," she whispered, leaning her head back with her eyes closed.

"What'cha workin' on?" Goku asked, moving to stand behind her. "Is that a dragon?"

"It's a horse," Lindsey answered, staring at the revolting creature she'd scratched onto the paper. "I keep seeing her in my dreams."

Goku pulled a chair under him as he sipped his own late-morning coffee. "Still having nightmares, huh?"

She nodded, picking her pencil back up. She considered her paper for a moment. The skeletal horse was sickly looking, its pale eyes like big, white orbs. Its teeth were long and sharp, pieces of its face had rotted away. "She's hurt."

Goku blinked. "Who's hurt?"

Lindsey tipped her head towards the drawing. "She's hurt and I can't help her. She just follows me everywhere. I don't know how to help her."

"No wonder you're having nightmares," Goku chuckled. "I'd be scared too, if that thing followed me around all night long."

Lindsey tilted her head, still staring the horse on the paper. Seeing it on the bright white paper in the late morning sunlight allowed her to study it. Try to figure it out. At first she'd thought the horse represented Eclipse, the horse she'd rescued from the Johnson stables, but now she wasn't so sure.

She sighed and shook a cigarette out of the pack she had lying nearby and struck a match to light it. Yorgi didn't trust her with a lighter.

"You need to stop," Goku repeated for the millionth time that week.

"One thing at a time," she answered around the smoke hanging from her lips. She dragged deeply and exhaled at her paper, the smoke wreathing the drawing. "When am I going to get out of here?"

"I don't know," Goku answered honestly. "When do you think you'll be okay to leave?"

She shrugged. She knew if she left now, there was a good chance she'd go right back to her habits. She rubbed the insides of her elbows without realizing what she was doing. The marks were beginning to fade.

"I missed the baby shower," she said sadly. She tucked a piece of short hair behind her ear.

"I know," Goku said, tipping his chin down. In all honesty, he'd thought that it had been a bit harsh of Yorgi to not allow her to attend the shower.

"Ugh, that stench is disgusting," Vegeta remarked as he and Yorgi entered the room.

Lindsey dragged on her cigarette, ignoring him.

Yorgi leaned over her shoulder. "You draw this?"

She nodded.

He grabbed her by the head and asked, "What is going on in there?"

"Sick and twisssssted shit," she murmured, leaning away from him.

"I think it's time you got out of this house," Vegeta said. "You need to start training."

Everyone turned and blinked at him.

"You've fallen far behind Catie. Even Jenny is far more powerful than you," he went on.

Lindsey shook her head. She didn't want to tell them what she suspected about her powers.

"Do you think now's a good time for that?" Goku asked.

"Anytime is a good time for it, Kakarot," Vegeta answered. "A warrior must never allow himself to go soft, even in times of peace."

Goku looked to Lindsey. "Might be good for you."

"I dunno," she shrugged, crushing her cigarette out in the ashtray and leaning towards her sketch paper again.

"That slack attitude will get you nowhere," Vegeta growled.

"Ain't got nowhere to go anyway," she muttered.

"You can train her to be powerful, like you?" Yorgi asked without the slightest hint of interest in his voice. Lindsey knew better. His poker face was astounding.

Vegeta smirked. "No. She's nothing but a human. She could never be as powerful as a Saiyan warrior. But that's no excuse to sit around being weak and not trying to better herself."

Lindsey rolled her eyes, grateful her back was to Vegeta. She was relatively sure he'd slap her if he saw that.

"You know what, Vegeta?" Goku asked, getting to his feet. "I think you're right."

Lindsey jumped and spun around to look at them.

"I think a month of training out in the woods might be a good start," Goku continued. "And I'll be the one doing the training."

"Oh sure, if you want her to have a sub-par teacher," Vegeta huffed.

"Lindsey, pack your bags. We're going to train."

Her jaw fell open as she stared at them. "It's freezing outside!" she protested. "I'm not spending a month out there in this kind of weather!"

Goku turned serious. "You'll do as you're told."

"But, Goku-"

"Lindsey, I'm serious."

"I don't even have my powers anymore," she told him, leaning forward to emphasize her words. "Don't you guys get that? If I did, they wouldn't have failed me before!"

"They're still there," Goku said, walking across the room and grabbing the bag of clothes he'd been living out of.

"No, they're not! And making me go freeze my butt off in the woods isn't going to change that!"

"Enough arguing. Now get your stuff."

Lindsey looked to Yorgi. He gave a nod.

"Unbelievable," she griped, dropping her pencil on the desk. "Un-fucking-believable."

"Watch your mouth," Goku snipped.

She cringed, embarrassed that he'd scolded her, and got up to prepare for her training.


	39. Sweet Transvestite

"GOOOHAAAANNN!" Leelee called, cracking the door to Lindsey's room open and sticking her head in. "You ready?"

Gohan was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, looking absolutely miserable.

"Gohan?" Leelee asked again, stepping into the room, followed closely by Seventeen.

"I don't think I'm gonna go," Gohan answered without looking up at them.

"But you have to!" Leelee protested.

Gohan shrugged.

"C'mon now, mate," Seventeen said in a fake British accent. "We needs ourselves a Will Turner and you needs to get out of this room, ya savvy?" He grinned and put his arm around Leelee's shoulders, pushing back the long heavy dreadlocks with his free hand.

Leelee eyed the fake goatee with the two long, thin braids hanging from his chin. "Don't you ever grow one of those for real."

"Nobody tells Cap'n Jack Sparrow what to do!" Seventeen proclaimed.

Gohan looked up at Seventeen in shock.

Seventeen snickered. "I may have gotten into the rum just a wee bit…"

Leelee put her hand up to her mouth and whispered loudly, "He's taking his costume very seriously."

"I see that," Gohan said. "I see you are, too."

Leelee's Tia Dalma costume was an exact replica from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie. From the highly detailed corset to the dreadlocked wig, the dots on her face and even the graying teeth, no detail was missed. Gohan had never thought about it much before, but somehow through the rough, raggedy pirate costume, Leelee looked exceptionally pretty tonight. Her dark skin seemed to glow in the low light of the room and her eyes were dancing with excitement.

"I really don't feel like it," Gohan sighed.

Seventeen flopped down onto the bed next to Gohan. "Now listen 'ere, mate. The way I see it, you can either sit around feelin' sorry fer yo'self and continue being miserable all night long like you 'ave the past month, o' you can put on tha' costume, come downstairs with meself and Calypso 'ere, and try to 'ave one night o' fun."

"Tia Dalma!" Leelee protested. "Dead Man's Chest! That's the movie we're doing!"

Seventeen held his hands up and moved them about in a perfect Jack Sparrow imitation. "Tia Dalma." His eyes grew wide and he muttered, "Should'a given 'er the rum."

"This is her favorite holiday," Gohan mumbled, thinking of Lindsey. "It doesn't seem right without her."

"But she don' wan' you bein' lonely an' sad today," Leelee said, mimicking Tia Dalma's accent extremely well. "Come wit us. You'll feel betteh."

"Oh, all right," Gohan sighed and grabbed up his costume. "I'll go. But I'm not gonna like it. And you two are really taking this whole pirate thing way too seriously." He stomped to the bathroom and shut the door. Maybe a night of not worrying was exactly what he needed. He peeled off his normal clothes and started to dress in the Will Turner costume Leelee had provided. Since Lindsey wasn't coming to the party, he'd had no one to dress up with and Leelee had decided that he could join her and Seventeen.

"Gosh, there's a lot to this costume," he muttered to himself as he pulled on the dark colored pants, the off-white shirt, the belts, the boots, the gray coat, the sword… He could hear Seventeen and Leelee singing a loud chorus of "A Pirate's Life for Me" in the other room. He slicked his hair back and pulled the silly-looking hat with its large white feather on his head. He looked himself over once in the mirror. "Good enough, I suppose," he said with a shrug. He reentered the bedroom.

"Oh my god!" Leelee squealed. "You look awesome!"

"Ya think?" Gohan laughed nervously, his ears burning. He hated it when girls gave him compliments. It always made him blush.

"It's missing something," Leelee said thoughtfully, dropping her fake accent for the moment. She considered him for a good long moment before snapping her fingers. "Got it!" She pushed past him and into the bathroom and began to dig around in the vanity drawers.

"What are you looking for?" Gohan asked.

"Makeup!" she answered.

"Makeup?!"

Seventeen threw an arm around Gohan's shoulders and leaned heavily on him. ""s not so bad, mate. See?" he gestured to his own face, specifically the heavy black eye-liner. "I'm wearin' it."

Leelee returned and shoved Seventeen away playfully. "Here, look down at me," she said to Gohan as she twisted open a small tube.

"Why do I have to wear make up?" Gohan protested.

"Because Will Turner has facial hair and you don't," Leelee answered. "I'm gonna paint some on."

"Fine," Gohan said, "But no eye-liner."

Leelee grabbed his chin and tilted his head down towards her. "Now hold still."

Ten minutes later, they were making their way across the crowded dance floor. The tiered room had been lavishly decorated with cobwebs and dripping candles, skeletons lined the balconies and here and there were full-sized coffins. The whole room was filled with fog at about knee-level that swirled and mushroomed up as people moved through it. While the dance floor was always dark, tonight it seemed exceptionally so.

"Jenny!" Leelee called and waved.

Jenny turned and smiled, waving back. "I love your costume!"

"Thanks," Leelee grinned, grabbing the skirt and swaying side to side.

Jenny wore an orange and white striped T-shirt, a black jacket, brown skirt, jeans and sneakers. She was holding a gallon of orange juice in one hand. Her brown hair had been pulled into a ponytail.

"Oh my god, you're Juno!" Leelee laughed.

"I thought it was appropriate," Jenny smiled, rubbing her large baby-belly. She tipped up the nearly-full gallon of juice and took a swig.

Leelee nearly died laughing. "It's brilliant."

"Where's Piccolo?" Gohan asked.

"Hiding," Jenny snickered. "I made him dress up as Bleeker."

"There's Trunks and Catie," Gohan nodded across the floor.

Catie bounced up to them, a curly blonde wig on her head, dressed head-to-toe in a skin tight black outfit and red heels. Trunks stood beside her in a black muscle shirt and black jeans with his hair greased.

"Who are you guys?" Seventeen asked.

Catie stared at him in surprise. "You don't know Sandy and Danny?"

Seventeen shook his head.

"What a sad life you live," Catie said, shaking her head.

"I'm just waiting for you two to break out in song and dance," Jenny teased.

"Anyone seen Sabriena?" Leelee asked.

"Yeah, she's around her somewhere," Trunks answered. "We saw her a little bit ago."

Catie was staring up at the bar, a look of horror on her face.

"What's wrong?" Gohan asked.

"Oh… oh my… oh good god!" Catie stammered, pointing at the raised bar.

They followed her gaze. Nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.

Kolya was standing there with a drink in hand, wearing nothing but a pair of tight gold shorts that barely covered his bum. He was laughing loudly and teasing Yelena, who wore a gold sequined top hat, sequined corset, striped shorts and vaudeville makeup. But it was Yorgi who astounded them all. His dark hair was exceptionally curly. He had shaved his face, but was still recognizable through the heavy makeup. He wore a black lace-up vest, a necklace of thick white pearls, black arm warmers, a black speedo, garter belt and thigh-high fishnet stockings, finished off with sparkly, six-inch high heels.

He saw them staring and waved them over.

"I love your costume," he complimented Leelee as they approached.

"Yours is, um," Leelee stammered, not quite sure what to say.

Yorgi smirked, his ruby red lips accenting the expression. He cocked an eyebrow at her, his eyes heavy with smoky eye shadow. His right bicep sported a temporary tattoo of a dagger-stabbed heart with the word "BOSS" above it.

"You are so hot," Catie breathed before she could stop herself.

"Catie!" Trunks scolded.

"Sorry!" she yelped and blushed.

"Thank you," Yorgi laughed. "Did not expect that response."

"What… uh, what are you exactly?" Gohan asked, embarrassed to even be near a man in heels.

"He's a sweet transvestite," Leelee answered before Yorgi could open his mouth.

"Dr. Frankenfurter," Yorgi answered.

Gohan raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

"Rocky Horror Picture Show," Yorgi continued over the loud music. "Is a movie. You must watch. It a classic."

"O-kaaay," Gohan answered, reaching for a cocktail that was sitting on the bar.

"You really think he's hot?" Trunks asked Catie in a scathing voice.

"Hey, I admire any man who's confident enough to pull off heels and fishnets," she responded, picking up a drink of her own.

Trunks shook his head and tried not to laugh. He simply couldn't be mad at her.

"You even shaved your legs!" Jenny exclaimed with a laugh, running her hand down Yorgi's shin as he sat on a barstool.

"No he didn't!" Kolya laughed.

"Shut up," Yorgi growled.

"You didn't?" Jenny asked.

"We talk about something else," Yorgi said, swallowing down his drink. He turned back to the bar and ordered another.

Jenny blinked questioningly at Kolya. Kolya leaned close and said softly in her ear, "He lost a bet to me. He had to wax his legs."

Jenny clapped a hand to her mouth and held her breath, then scurried away from the bar as quickly as she could. Reaching a side door, she banged through it, slammed it behind her, and doubled over, screaming in laughter.

"You saw Yorgi's costume, huh?" came a voice from the shadows.

Jenny jumped and looked around. "Lindsey!" she cried.

"Shh!" Lindsey hushed. She stood with her hands in the pockets of her ripped jeans, her white coat unzipped over her purple tank top. Her hair barely brushed the tops of her shoulders. That was one thing she liked about herself – her hair grew pretty fast.

"You're not supposed to be here!" Jenny hissed.

"I know. Goku left to take Goten trick-or-treating, I just wanted to come and see everyone's costumes," Lindsey answered.

Jenny eyed her skeptically.

"I promise, Jenny," Lindsey said, pulling her hands from her pockets and showing them to Jenny. "I'm clean. I haven't gotten anything. You can search me if you want."

Jenny stared at her for a moment, then smiled. "I believe you."

Lindsey rushed forward and hugged her friend. "Jenny, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for everything."

"I wish you would have talked to us," Jenny admitted. She swigged from her juice jug again.

Lindsey nodded. "I know. I tried to handle it myself and I couldn't." She reached for the jug and took a swallow of it herself.

"Well don't do that anymore," Jenny scolded as she twisted the cap back on her juice. "That's what we're here for."

Lindsey looked guilty.

"There's been something bugging me, though," Jenny said thoughtfully. "When you were missing and even afterwards, with all this stuff, why couldn't I sense you? I mean, any other time that any of us were dealing with something bad, we could sense each other. This time, there was… well… nothing."

"I know," Lindsey answered. "I… I think I've lost my powers. I think something in me's broken."

Jenny blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah. I can't power up or anything anymore."

"But, I thought you were training with Gohan's dad?" Jenny asked.

"I am," she answered. "And I'm getting stronger physically. Mentally, too. Do you know how miserable it is to sleep in a tent in this kind of weather?"

Jenny snickered. "You snuck up here just to warm up for a minute."

"That too," Lindsey giggled. "But seriously, I can't use my powers anymore."

"Keep working at it," Jenny encouraged. "You'll get 'em back."

Lindsey gave a half-hearted smile. "I hope so."

"Have you –" Jenny started to ask another question, but the door to the hallway they were standing in banged open and Kolya stood facing back towards the dance floor, yelling something in Russian. Jenny threw Lindsey a terrified look and shoved Kolya back out the door, slamming it shut and leaning her back against it. "RUN!"

"Jenny, I…"

"Go! If Yorgi catches you here now, you're dead!"

"Don't tell anyone I was here," Lindsey commanded in a harsh whisper. She ran forward, planted a kiss on Jenny's forehead and whispered, "I love you, girly." Then she turned and ran down the hall, disappearing around the corner.

Kolya banged the door open again, causing Jenny to stumble forward. "What happened?"

"Sorry, Kolya, I tripped," Jenny answered. "I didn't mean to bump into you."

"You okay?" he asked, concern actually showing on his face for once.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Jenny waved him off. God, she was sick of being babied. She was pregnant, not breakable.

"Then let's party!" he grinned, linking arms with her and dragging her back to the dance floor as she glanced over her shoulder down the empty hallway.

* * *

Gohan sat at the bar, leaning his elbow against the polished top, staring at his reflection. He was bored and lonely. While he'd said he didn't want to come to the party tonight, a small part of him was hoping for a night of fun. At this point, he'd take anything as a distraction from the worry he constantly felt. He spun around on the barstool and stared across the wave of elaborately-costumed bodies occupying the dance floor. Everyone around him seemed happy and all he felt was as though he was missing a piece of himself.

From the crowd came a curvy girl with purple hair, wearing hugely poofy furry striped arm and leg warmers, a black and purple bra, and tiny black shorts. She had painted a somewhat creepy-looking grin across her face that stretched from one corner of her jaw to the other and whiskers were painted across her cheeks. Large black cat ears stuck up from her hair.

"Hey you," she crooned at Gohan.

"Hey," he muttered back, not paying her much attention. He was in no mood to be hit on.

"You're looking awfully sad," she said, reaching for a drink.

He shrugged.

"You wanna dance?" she asked, sipping her drink.

"No thanks," he answered flatly.

"You can be such a killjoy, Gohan," she scolded.

Gohan jumped and turned to the girl. "You know me?"

She stared at him with a bored expression on her face. "Uh, yeah."

He looked closer at her through the dim light and blinked. "Sabriena?"

"Yeeessssss," she drawled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you!" he laughed.

She shook her head. "So come on, let's go dance."

"Uh, won't Tumbler be upset?" Gohan asked nervously. "He's been giving me dirty looks since the last time I danced with you."

"Nah, he's sick," she answered. "He's got the fluuuu. I'm here alone, you're here alone… We might as well have some fun."

Gohan looked unsure.

"Or we can sit here together and mope. Your call."

"Alright, I'll dance with you," Gohan agreed.

Sabriena grabbed him by the wrist and led him to the dance floor near Catie and the others as "Blow" by Ke$ha blared over the speakers.

"'bout time you showed up, mate," Seventeen smiled.

Gohan shrugged as Sabriena turned her back to him and began to dance. It had been weird enough to him to dance with her once before, but she was so scantily clad this night, he felt really awkward. He placed his hands on the bare skin of her waist, trying to maintain at least a little bit of distance between his body and hers. He felt guilty for admiring her curves and for liking the warm feel of her in his hands a little too much. He could feel himself blushing again.

Catie watched Sabriena, suspicious at first, but mentally slapped herself. She knew Sabriena would never betray a friend. And even if she would, Gohan was most definitely not Sabriena's type. Still, Catie wasn't sure that it was the wisest move on Sabriena's part when she leaned forward and wiggled her ass against Gohan's hips. Gohan actually froze then, his face going completely red. Sabriena glanced over her shoulder at him and laughed out loud. She stood up straight and turned to face him.

"You are too easy to get to, Gohan," she laughed. "I'm just teasing you!"

"Yeah, and not in a good way," he answered, his stomach churning. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest, his hands shaking. He just couldn't handle flirting.

Sabriena rolled her eyes. "Get over yourself. You are so not my type."

Gohan sighed in relief. "Good. I wouldn't want to be counted in with that type of guy anyway."

Sabriena gasped and slapped his chest. "You're such a jerk."

"Nah, that would make me your type."

She smiled and shook her head, then snagged two shots from the tray of a passing waitress that had been hired for the night. She handed one to Gohan. She held hers in the air and shook her purple-tinged locks off her shoulders. "To not being interested in each other, even on the tiniest level."

"Cheers to that," Gohan answered heartily, clinking his shot glass to hers and swallowing it down. "I'm gonna need more of those if I'm hanging out with you for the night."

"My sentiments exactly."


	40. Goku's Training

November rolled in with freezing rain and even colder temperatures. Lindsey was shivering in her sweat pants and tank top, the icy drizzle soaking her to the bone.

"Goku, I'm freezing!" she complained.

"Put it out of your mind," he answered, stepping back with one foot and raising his arms. "Do it again!"

Lindsey flew at Goku, punching and kicking him as he blocked every attack. She paused to catch her breath, pressing the heels of her hands into her knees. Her dark red hair dripped with the cold rain and felt like a wet sheet over her neck.

"You're not trying hard enough!" Goku scolded.

She glared up at him wordlessly.

"My turn," Goku said dangerously and attacked without warning.

"Goku!" Lindsey cried, raising her arms to defend herself. "Stop!"

"An attacker won't stop, Lindsey!" he yelled as he continued to throw punches and kicks at her.

"No! No! I can't do this!" She was starting to freak out again.

"Stop making excuses!" He spun in mid-air, his leg catching her shoulder and throwing her several yards across the clearing. He landed and stood there, watching her. "Get up."

She stood and faced him, rubbing her arm and blinking away angry tears.

"You're mad," he stated. "Good."

"I can't believe you kicked me that hard!" she spat.

"You're not going to learn anything if I baby you," he responded. "And you're never going to recover if you intend to keep hiding in that house. Look what that did to you!"

"But, I…"

"No buts. You cannot continue to hide behind your past. Do you want that to happen to you again? Those guys are still out there! They've been freed of all wrong doings and they will attack you again if given the chance!"

She blinked at him, a look of terror crossing her face.

"What happened to you was horrible. I can't imagine how it must make you feel. But you will be the victim again if you can't stop them! Is that what you want?!"

"No," Lindsey growled in a low voice.

"You want them to hurt you again?! You want to put Gohan through that again?!"

"NO!" Lindsey shouted, her body tensing up. She stared at Goku as the rain gave way to large flakes of snow.

"Then take control of your life! Reclaim your power!" Goku took a step towards her, raising his hands. "I am the man that hurt you! I am going to hurt you again! NOW ATTACK ME LIKE YOU MEAN IT!"

In a burst of rage, Lindsey threw herself at Goku with a scream that echoed throughout the forest. Simultaneously, her hair flashed to hot flames, her eyes turned a crackling red-orange as she landed a punch to Goku's left jaw. He took the punch well and continued to defend himself against her fury of attacks. 'I might'a pushed her too hard,' he thought to himself as he swiftly dodged and blocked her moves.

She was livid. Blinded by the anger she felt towards the men that hurt her, she attacked Goku with every ounce of strength she had. She could see Jonah's face leering at her, could hear Cody's voice laughing. The humiliation, the fear, the unbelievable pain, the worthlessness, the filth, the self-loathing – it was entirely their fault. And then she saw the thing that made her angrier than anything else. It was Gohan - who looked angry and sad. This was so much bigger than just her. They'd hurt him as well. They'd almost ruined the best thing she had in her life. She's been driven to self-medication and in the process had nearly ended her own life.

"NEVER AGAIN!" Lindsey screamed as a rope of fire flew from her hand and wrapped itself around Goku's wrist.

"AAAGGHHH!" Goku screamed in pain. "Lindsey, stop!"

"An attacker won't stop, Goku," she replied in an eerily calm voice, pulling her end of the rope, tightening it.

He narrowed his eyes at her, then sliced through the rope with his free hand, sighing in relief as it turned to ash and fell away from his wrist. Three angry burn marks wrapped around his wrist. He was grateful for the cold air that blew against his skin as it began to blister.

"You think you're so tough, try this on for size," he smirked at her. He held both of his hands to his right hip, "Kaaaaa…. Meeeee…. Haaaa…. Meeee….."

Lindsey squared her shoulders and prepared for his attack. The heat of her energy was melting the frozen ground around her; her shoes were sinking slightly into the mud.

"HAAA!"

The blue orb of concentrated energy flew at her as she threw her arms out in front of her and screamed. A wave of red flame hit the blast and the attacks erupted in a spectacular explosion. As the smoke cleared, the two stared at each other across the large scorch mark they'd created on the ground.

"You could have done better than that," Lindsey sneered.

"I know," Goku replied. "Wasn't sure you could handle it."

Lindsey narrowed her eyes at her future father-in-law. "Handle this." She jumped into the air, spinning, and throwing a whip of flame at him, catching him across his shoulder with a resounding _CRACK_. She landed, the whip of fire still in her hand.

"That's a new one," he scoffed, ignoring the welt on his arm.

"You like it?" she asked haughtily as she summoned a second whip in her other hand. "I just came up with it." She spun the whips slowly before her in double-dutch style, dangerously taunting the Saiyan to attack her again. "C'mon, big man. Let's see what you got."

In a flash, Goku was directly before her, moving so fast she couldn't see him and he hit her squarely in the face, knocking her backwards on the ground. He wanted to see if she'd get back up, to see how hard of a hit she could take.

She didn't disappoint him. She retaliated by jumping up quickly and spinning a whip at his face. He ducked, but she managed to singe one of the tips of his hair.

"Ha ha ha ha ha," she laughed lazily.

He rushed her again, but this time she was ready. She snapped her arms across her chest, sending the whips lashing out and crossing over, smacking him in the face as he found himself caught in no-man's land.

Rubbing the scorch marks on his cheeks, Goku grinned dangerously at her. "Not bad."

She watched him with keen eyes, waiting for his next attack, still spinning the whips in large circles that crossed before her. They sizzled and steamed in the cold air.

"Ready to take it to the next level?" Goku asked as his eyes turned seafoam green and his hair flashed gold.

Lindsey tilted her head to the side and quipped, "Bring it on."

* * *

"What is that energy?" Piccolo asked, looking around. He and Jenny had bundled up and gone for a walk in the snow since the rain had stopped. She gripped his arm tightly, fearful of slipping on the thin sheet of ice that had formed across the ground.

"I don't know," Jenny answered.

"I can feel Goku," Piccolo said. "But the other… It can't be."

"Is it Lindsey?" Jenny asked.

"There's no way," Piccolo replied. "She's not that strong." He was tempted to fly to Goku's side, to see what in the world was going on.

"How strong?"

"Impressively so," he said. "Not as strong as the Saiyans, but at least equal to Catie."

Jenny stood still for a moment, trying to feel the vibrations in the air. "It has to be Lindsey. Who else could it be?" She was certain of it.

"Then she's improved drastically in a short amount of time."

"No, it's always been there," Jenny said, walking forward again and Piccolo fell into step beside her. "She just figured out how to bring it out again."

Their footsteps crunched in the snow as they continued on their walk. Jenny couldn't resist the small smile that pulled at her lips. She sniffled as the cold air burned her nose.

"You all right?" Piccolo asked.

"Never better," she smiled. "Everything's going to be all right now."

* * *

Gohan sat quietly in his favorite chair near the fireplace, his book folded shut over one finger. He could feel his father and his fiancée's energies as they raged against one another. He closed his eyes and focused on hers. She felt strong. A rush of hope and excitement flared in his chest. This was the first time he'd felt her energy since she'd overdosed and this was the closest he'd come to her in a long time. He prayed she'd return to him soon. These long days of emptiness were killing him. It had been weeks since he'd even seen her. If she was to the point where her powers had come back, if she was even attempting to hold her own against a man (especially his father) then she was truly close to healing. He felt he could leap for joy.

* * *

Lindsey stood panting, the cold snow falling on her hot skin, melting and mixing with the sweat that rolled down her chest and back. Her hair was hanging in wet waves again as she stared at Goku, who looked equally tired. They'd been at it for hours.

"Break time?" she asked.

He nodded.

Together, they climbed into the tent and flopped down on the floor, leaning against the air mattresses that sat against opposing walls within the tent. She pulled her shoes and socks off, rubbing her cold toes.

"I'm very proud of you," Goku smiled.

She returned the smile. "Thanks." She eyed the burn marks on his arms and face. "Sorry about that."

He shrugged, "Ah, it'll heal. Shouldn't dish it out if I can't take it."

"I got you," she teased.

"Huh?" Goku asked.

"I got you," she repeated. "I actually managed to not only block you, but hit you. I held my own."

He nodded. "Mm-hmm. That you did!"

She seemed to swell at the thought of it, smiling to herself and rubbing her feet. She swore her toes were going to fall off.

Goku stood. "I'll let you get out of those wet clothes," he said and stepped out of the tent.

She changed quickly, pulling on a long-sleeved T-shirt and jeans, sliding her feet into the blissfully thick wool socks she'd packed. "I'm dressed!" she called as she rubbed her hair with a towel.

Goku reentered the tent and she turned her back to him, covering her eyes as he changed his clothes quickly. "That's much better." He sat on the air mattress and heaved a sigh.

She turned back around and they stared at each other for a minute, studying the marks they'd inflicted on one another.

"You hungry?" she asked.

"Sure!" Goku exclaimed.

She giggled. "I'll fix us something to eat." She stood and pulled on a pair of boots. She paused to look at his wrist again and felt guilty. She sighed and dropped to her knees next to her bag and began to rummage through it.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"My first aid kit," she answered. She found it and pulled the small bottle of aloe from the case. She crossed the tent on her knees and took Goku's hand in her own. He could see a bruise forming on her cheek. "Here," she said and squeezed a dollop onto the burn marks on his wrist. She pulled his hand closer to her and gingerly spread the gel across the burns with her fingertips. He hissed at her touch and she whispered, "Sorry."

"It's okay," he answered.

"There," she said, sitting back and looking at the thick coating of aloe around his wrist. "That should make it feel better."

"Thanks," he said.

She nodded and dropped the bottle on his mattress, then stood up. "I'll get the fire going and make us some soup." She left the tent, humming to herself and zipped it shut behind her.

'Gohan is going to be so proud of you,' Goku thought as he lay back on his makeshift bed. 'And I will be proud to have you in my family.'


	41. Revenge, Part 1

That was no way to wake up in the middle of the night. Getting punched in the face is miserable anyway, but when that's your alarm clock, well, let's just say it was unexpected at the least.

Toby cried out, clapping a hand over his nose, his eyes streaming as he squinted through the darkness, trying to identify his attacker. It was no use. A cloth bag was thrown over his head as someone much stronger than he was rolled him to his chest and placed their knee in his back. He tried to struggle, to fend off his assailant, but it was no use. Strong hands gripped his wrists, twisting his arms back painfully, and he felt cordage being wrapped tightly around them, binding his hands behind his back.

"Who are you?" Toby shouted and received another slug to the face as his answer. But he thought he knew the answer already.

The strong hands gripped his arms and pulled him to a standing position, marching him forwards. Fear of being hit again prevented him from fighting with the person any further. Whoever it was never spoke a word as he walked on and on, finally feeling the cold winter air engulf him as he stumbled barefoot into the snow.

He heard the dull clunking of car doors and he was shoved, falling to his right side on something hard. He didn't fall far enough to hit the ground. Terror washed over him as he realized he was being stuffed in a trunk.

"No! No! No!" he screamed. CHUNK. Complete darkness swallowed him as the trunk lid closed. He felt the soft jostling of the car as someone sat in it and heard the engine purr to life.

He'd tried to run away from this. After giving a statement at the trial where he'd gotten the best revenge he could possibly conjure up, he'd realized what a horrible mistake he'd made. Betraying Yorgi like that was a death sentence. Fearing for his life, Toby had taken every cent he owned and ran for the safety of the city of St. Louis, renting a tiny apartment under a fake name and settling in, rarely opening his curtains or venturing from his new home. He'd covered his tracks well, but it apparently wasn't good enough. They'd found him and now he would have to answer for his betrayal.

The car bounced smoothly over the road and Toby supposed it would have lulled him to sleep, had the circumstances been different. He trembled at the thought of what was going to happen to him. He feared a beating, but decided taking his licks would be much better than a bullet in his brain. He prayed Kirill wasn't in the car.

He could taste the blood running down his throat from his broken nose and tears leaked from his eyes. What a fool he'd been – getting in with a crowd of people like this. As much as he wanted to be one of the tough guys, he simply wasn't. He was slender and baby-faced and lacked a taste for anything that could risk him getting hurt. No, he was much better suited for sitting behind a computer screen. He should've gone to school for computer programming or some such thing. Instead, he'd chosen to go for easy, quick money, hacking government databases for Yorgi. And he enjoyed it. There was nothing he couldn't crack, no secret network he couldn't gain access to. He prided himself on his talents and he had been a valuable asset to Anarchy 99 because of them. If only he hadn't made the simple mistake of placing the funds into the wrong account. It was their own account, the money wasn't gone, but they hadn't taken the time to figure that out before they had attacked him and told him to leave.

He'd been so angry that day. So very, very hurt. He wanted nothing more than to be part of Yorgi's inner circle. Sure, Yelena could handle business transactions, but she was no hacker. It was the one piece to the upper ranks that hadn't been filled yet. And he would have fit the part so perfectly. But one wrong step, and here he was, removed from the place he'd worked so hard to achieve. So blinded by disappointment he was that he had contacted Mr. Flynn's office and offered him inside information about Anarchy 99 to help the Johnson boys' case. It was the only thing he could think of to make them pay. He knew how much Yorgi valued Lindsey, how protective he'd become of her, and by slandering her character, he knew there was a good chance her attackers could get off. Nothing could hurt her more than that. He'd even gone so far as to sneak back into the warehouse repeatedly, watching her steps, waiting for her to make a wrong move that he could report back to Mr. Flynn. He'd lied to her the day he said Yorgi had forgiven him. He decided it was worth the risk to catch her shooting up. 'She shouldn't have kicked me,' he'd told himself at the time.

Now he wished beyond all wishing that he'd just walked away from the whole thing.

All too soon, the car rolled to a stop and he heard the doors open and slam shut. The trunk popped open, the freezing air washing over his body through the thin pajama pants and T-shirt he wore. He was pulled harshly from the car by his armpits and dropped face-first into the snow. He could hear rolling water to his left and wondered wildly if they were going to tie cinderblocks to his legs and toss him in.

He was pulled to a sitting position on his knees and the pillowcase was yanked from his head. He blinked his eyes in the low light and felt his insides turn to ice. There before him stood Yorgi with Viktor and Kirill on either side. Kolya held the pillowcase in one hand and the back of Toby's shirt in the other, looking down at him emotionlessly.

There was a light in Yorgi's eyes, a sick pleasure flickering there that was enjoying the look of terror on the young man's face.

"Yorgi, I'm sorry!" Toby pleaded.

Yorgi smiled widely at him, his right hand near his mouth holding a toothpick. He looked to Kirill on his right side and said something light-heartedly in Russian. The sniper gave a soft snort of laughter.

"Please," Toby said, "I was just angry! I didn't mean it! I am so sorry!"

Yorgi gave a sharp nod to Viktor, who stepped forward and slammed his big fist into the side of Toby's face. He felt a cracking, like his jaw had fractured, and tasted blood again. He felt something hard in his mouth and he spat into the snow, leaving red splatter marks on the ground as three of his teeth flew from his mouth. "Aw, shit," he whined pitifully.

Kolya's blue eyes were murderous as his boot caught Toby in the ribs.

Yorgi stood still as a statue as he watched his brother and his friend relentlessly beat the young hacker. Finally he barked the Russian word for "Enough." Viktor and Kolya ceased their attack immediately.

Toby fell to his side, bleeding profusely from his mouth and nose, tears sliding from his eyes. "Please, Yorgi, I'm sorry."

Yorgi stepped closer, his hands behind his back and bent at the waist, the toothpick held between his teeth. "You were not sorry the day you betrayed me," he said in a deathly quiet voice.

"I'll never do it again!" Toby cried. "I swear it! I swear!"

Yorgi smiled at him. "I know you won't."

A new wave of sobs racked Toby's chest. Yorgi stood up straight, his face returning to its normal expression of disinterest, and he stared down his nose at Toby. "No one betrays me." He threw a well-aimed kick at Toby's face, who screamed out in pain. "And no one hurts my Little Dove." He brought the heel of his boot down on Toby's head and Toby felt his eye socket crack.

Yorgi stared at him for a moment, before turning his back and walking slowly back to the car. "Do it," he said softly to Kirill.

Toby struggled to right himself as he looked in horror through his good eye at Kirill, who calmly and slowly withdrew a long, silver pistol from his belt.

"NO! NO, YORGI, PLEASE!" Toby screamed.

Kolya and Viktor fell into step behind Yorgi, following him to the car.

"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" Toby bawled. "PLEASE, NO! NOOO!"

A booming crack rent the night air and then all was silent. Toby's body twitched involuntarily for a few moments as Kirill watched, then went still. He slid the pistol back into the waist of his pants and began to roll up the sleeve of his left arm as he walked back to the black sedan. Yorgi wrinkled his nose in disgust as Kirill pressed the burning end of his cigarette to the flesh of his arm, marking yet another kill.

"Throw him in the river," Yorgi said casually to Viktor and Kolya, who immediately went to retrieve the black plastic sheeting from the trunk. Yorgi slid into the front seat of the car, a small smile pulling at his lips.


	42. 3 am Ice Cream

"Piccolo," Jenny whispered in the dark.

Silence.

"Piccolo," she repeated, a little louder.

"Mmph," he groaned in his sleep, rolling to the other side, turning his back to her.

"Piccoooolllloooooooo," she whined louder.

He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before he rolled over and looked at her. "What's wrong?"

"I… uh…" Jenny stammered nervously, a hand on her belly.

He sat bolt upright, "Is it time?"

Jenny blinked at him. "Oh, no! I just… can you get me some ice cream?"

Piccolo's shoulders fell. "It's three in the morning."

"I know," she answered quietly. "But baby demands ice cream!"

He scrubbed at his eyes with the heels of his hands.

"I'd go get it myself, but…"

"No, you have no business getting up right now," he answered.

Jenny's feet and ankles were terribly swollen and her blood pressure had been high the last time she'd gone to the doctor. She hadn't exactly been put on bed-rest, but the doctor wanted her to take it easy and keep her feet up as much as possible. She'd taken to sleeping propped up in bed to try to combat the constant heartburn. She hated being pregnant. She was excited to have the baby of course, but no one had ever warned her about all these little discomforts that added up to several months of feeling lousy.

Piccolo threw his legs out of bed and stood, stretching his arms over his head as he went.

"Chocolate?" he asked.

She nodded happily. "And can you bring me a bottle of hot sauce?" she asked, batting her eyes.

He blinked at her and then left the room, shaking his head.

The hallways were dark and chilly, but he took little notice. The cold didn't really bother him. He made his way to the kitchen and pulled open one of the overly large freezers. Blinking against the sudden light, he grabbed the carton of ice cream and kicked the door shut behind him. He rummaged in a drawer for a spoon and started back to the bedroom before he remembered the hot sauce and had to turn around again.

There was a loud banging from another room and Piccolo dropped the spoon and ice cream on the kitchen island, quietly hurrying towards the sound. He slipped through the enormous dining room and cracked open the door to the living room.

Yorgi had just entered from one of the side doors that led to the garage, dressed all in black with a black leather trench coat. Kolya and Viktor, who were dressed similarly, soon joined him. Kirill brought up the rear and shut the door behind him.

'What are all four of them doing up this late?' Piccolo thought. He didn't trust any of them and frankly had no use for Yorgi, period. The only reason he tolerated these people and this place was for Jenny. And he didn't understand what she saw in any of it in the first place.

"Little fucker had it coming," Kolya growled in a soft voice.

"Shh," Yorgi hushed him. "We never speak of it."

Kolya nodded, pulling at the fingers of his gloves, slipping them from his hands. He flexed his fingers a couple times, trying to knock the cold from them.

"Problem?" Yorgi asked, eyeing Kolya's hand.

"Let's go to America, you said," Kolya answered. "Is warmer in America, you said. You lie."

Yorgi snorted.

The door from the garage banged open once more and Xander entered, his suede and fur coat left to hang open over his black top and jeans. Dark shades covered his eyes as he looked at the floor.

"And there's X," Yorgi smiled. "Thank you for driving us tonight."

Xander nodded wordlessly, crossing his arms over his chest. He hesitated for a minute, then left without saying a thing. Yorgi watched him go, his brows turning down slightly. Xander hadn't spoke a word since they'd pulled up in front of the apartment building in St. Louis. For all he'd done in the past for Yorgi before, he'd never participated in an execution. He'd offered to go, eager to avenge his former love, but once they got there, he had done nothing but drive where Yorgi instructed. He sat in the driver's seat, watching the assassination through the windshield. Yorgi now questioned if bringing Xander had been a wise move.

"I'm going to bed," Kolya announced, stretching and yawning loudly. He and Viktor headed for their rooms as Yorgi shook Kirill's hand and spoke quickly to him in Russian.

"Where have you been?" a female voice hissed. Yelena was rushing into the room, pulling her heavy robe tighter around her.

Kirill and Yorgi looked at each other and Kirill left without a word.

Yorgi squared his shoulders at her. "Taking care of business." He looked dark and intimidating in the glowing light from the fireplace.

"What sort of business?" she asked, her intense eyes boring into his. Yelena was just as keen and intelligent as Yorgi, if not more-so. She was almost certain of where he'd been and what he'd done. While she didn't disapprove of his actions, she worried about it.

"Does not concern you," he answered in his slow, soft tone.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "What did you do?" she whispered.

Piccolo didn't have to strain to hear her. In fact, he didn't even have to have the door open to hear what they were saying. But he left it open just a fraction of an inch to watch what was going on.

Yorgi didn't answer.

"Yorgi," Yelena said, "tell me you not do anything stupid."

He started to walk away from her, towards the dining room.

"Yorgi!" she called. "They catch you this time!" There was a desperation in her voice, a concern rarely heard from her.

He paused without turning to face her. Piccolo could see a frown on Yorgi's face as he contemplated her words. He shook his head slightly and continued towards the door Piccolo stood behind. Not wanting a confrontation, Piccolo quickly and silently ran back into the kitchen and grabbed up the ice cream and spoon he'd left lying on the island.

The kitchen door banged open and Yorgi stood there, surprised to see the tall Namek pulling open the door of the refrigerator.

"You're up late, my friend," Yorgi stated in a cold tone.

"I'm not your friend, Yorgi," Piccolo answered, grabbing the bottle of hot sauce and slamming the door shut.

Yorgi's nostrils flared slightly. "But your Jenny is."

Piccolo stared at Yorgi, his face expressionless. "You know we're going to leave here as soon as this wedding is over."

Yorgi didn't react, but there was an anger welling up inside him that seemed to permeate the air of the kitchen.

They stared at each other for a moment, each realizing their distaste for one another. Yorgi hadn't paid much attention to the Namek, but he was quickly realizing that Piccolo was not one to be controlled or intimidated. He didn't like it.

Piccolo strode past Yorgi, allowing the kitchen door to bang closed noisily behind him.

"What took you so long?" Jenny asked as Piccolo handed her the late-night snack.

Piccolo shook his head and climbed into bed beside her.

"Piccolo?" she asked, staring at him.

"We need to leave here," Piccolo answered.

"I'm not exactly in a position to travel," she answered, popping the top off the carton of ice cream. She scooped out a generous amount and drizzled the hot sauce over her spoon.

"How can you eat that?" he asked, wrinkling his nose at her.

"It's delicious," she said, her mouth full.

"As soon as you're able, we're going home," Piccolo stated.

"But, I…"

"End of discussion, Jenny," Piccolo said firmly and lay down to sleep.


	43. She's Ready

Goku stood knee-deep in the snow, his eyes focused on the young woman standing before him. She leaned forward, leering at him, those blasted fire whips spinning dangerously in the space between them. She had become deadly accurate with them and he was getting rather tired of blisters. As if in slow motion, he saw her shoulder lurch towards him, her arm extending, the whip lashing towards the left side of his face. With a yell, he released a wave of energy that shielded him from her attack.

He threw a ball of energy at her; she deflected it with the second whip, sending it blasting into a tree, which splintered.

"Quit holding back on me!" she spat.

Goku sneered. "You can't handle it."

Narrowing her eyes, she flew at him, spinning through the air and catching his arm with a sharp crack of the whip.

He stared up at her and taunted "Don't you have any other attacks?"

The whips faded from her hands as she hovered a good six feet from the ground. Her flying skills were improving well as she learned more and more about controlling her energy. "Try this, then," she answered. She held her hands to her right hip, energy beginning to glow between her palms.

Goku folded his arms across his chest and closed his eyes for a moment. "You're going to use my own attack on me?" His eyes snapped open. "This I gotta see."

"Kaaaaa….. meeeeeee….. haaaa….." she began, sweat rolling down the side of her face. It took a lot of her energy to summon that attack.

"KAMEHAMEHAAAA!" Goku yelled quickly, blasting the attack at her.

The energy wave caught her full in the chest, sending her flying backwards where she landed flat on her back in the snow. Goku rushed her as she pushed herself to her feet, locking his arms under hers, pinning her back against his chest.

"AAAGGGGHHHH!" she screamed in anger, pulling her arms forward with all her strength, trying to break his hold.

"What do you do now?" he asked in a low voice, his mouth next to her ear. "I've got you."

She could feel the panic rising up in her chest. Fighting she could handle. Being restrained… it was still taking some work to overcome. Her chest rose and fell as she drew deep breaths, her mind working furiously.

"You're trapped," he continued in that haunting voice.

With a scream, she powered up, flames engulfing both of them in a flash. Goku released her with a cry and threw himself into the snow, rolling a couple times to extinguish his lit clothing.

She placed a hand on her hip and stared down at him with a smirk.

Pushing himself up on one elbow, he looked up at her. "Don't do that. You look like Vegeta."

"You asked me what to do," she answered. "Was that sufficient?"

"That'll do it." He couldn't help but laugh.

Lindsey powered down, heaving a sigh as she did so. "Come on, old man," she said, grabbing Goku's elbow and tugging him to his feet.

"Old man?" Goku cried. "Now that hurts worse than any attack you could throw at me."

She threw her head back and laughed.

"You really are getting good, you know that?" he said.

"You're a good teacher," she answered.

"What's he teaching you?" came a voice.

Lindsey and Goku jumped, turning towards the sound. Standing near a tree was a tall man with a long face, pale green eyes and short brown hair. His hands were tucked into the pockets of his black leather coat, an enormous English Mastiff by his side.

"Memphis!" Lindsey breathed.

"Hey kiddo," he smiled.

"No one's supposed to be here," Goku warned the man he didn't recognize.

Memphis nodded. "I know. I just need to speak to her for a moment."

Goku tilted his chin down, fixing Memphis with a stern glare.

"Goku, he's okay," Lindsey said softly. "May I please speak to him for a minute?"

Goku stood silently for a minute. "Make it quick."

Lindsey rushed to Memphis who grabbed her elbow and pulled her a little ways into the tree line, the huge dog trotting along in their wake. Goku repositioned himself to keep an eye on them.

"What are you doing here?" Lindsey asked, absentmindedly scratching the dog's ears.

"I heard what happened to you," he answered. "I had to see if you were okay."

"I'm better," she answered.

Memphis was staring intently at her. "You shouldn't have come back."

"I always intended to come home," she answered.

"You shouldn't have," he repeated. "When you found Gohan, you should have stayed in Japan."

Lindsey was hurt. "You didn't want to see me anymore?"

"Not if it meant you getting hurt," he answered in his soft voice. "Lindsey, you have to think. This isn't a good place for you. You've nearly died twice in the past 8 months."

"Would you like to be the pot or the kettle?" she asked.

Memphis snorted. "Yeah, I know. I'm no one to talk."

They stood there for a few moments, both waiting to see what the other would say. The dog made a whining sound and Memphis scolded, "Hush, Otto." Finally Memphis broke. "I'm getting you out of here."

She blinked at him. "What?"

"You need to go back to Japan," he said simply. "You need to get out of this life while you're still young. Don't be like me. Don't spend your life on the run. You've got a good thing going with this guy. Don't fuck it up."

Lindsey looked away from him, pressing her lips together. "Yorgi will never allow it."

"You let me deal with Yorgi," Memphis stated. "You don't have to answer to him, you know."

"Yes I do," she answered. "He's done a lot for me."

"Yeah, and he's also fucked you over a lot, too," Memphis said.

"How do you figure that?" she asked.

"Think about it, Lindsey," Memphis said. "If he hadn't flipped out on Toby, do you know what a difference that would have made at the trial? Toby practically worshipped the ground we all walk on. He never would have betrayed us like that if Yorgi hadn't tried to have him killed."

A cold settled into Lindsey's core at the realization of Memphis' words. She didn't want to think about it like that, but he was right. If Toby hasn't testified about her drug abuse, the jury probably would have taken her side. Toby wasn't mad at her, he was mad at Yorgi. But she was the one who had suffered for it.

"If Yorgi had known…" she started.

"He doesn't know everything," Memphis cut across her. "This isn't what it was supposed to be like. It was supposed to be fun. It was about the cars, the parties, the freedom. It wasn't about money and power. Yorgi's let it all go to his head."

Lindsey blinked harshly. She hated to hear Memphis speaking that way about the man she revered so. Yes, Yorgi's history was questionable at best. Yes, he was guilty of many crimes he'd never answered for. He was an asshole to boot and his power to intimidate anyone was astounding. He'd even managed to exert that power over Goku and Vegeta, however subtle it had been. But there was a softer side underneath all that – one that few people ever saw. Yorgi had been good to her, despite the fact that he used her.

"He takes care of me," she said.

"What? You're not capable of taking care of yourself?" Memphis scoffed.

"I… yes, I am," she answered.

"Then do it. You're clean now," he said, looking her over as if searching for a sign of weakness. "You don't have to stay here anymore. You need to take Gohan and go back to Japan. And stay there."

"But, I won't ever see you again," she said, her voice quivering.

"You'll be safe," he responded softly.

"Yelena's already planning the wedding," Lindsey argued.

"I know," Memphis said. "Go ahead and have the wedding here if you want. But do it soon and get the hell out."

"What about everyone here, though?" Lindsey asked. "X and Kolya and Sabriena… my brothers…"

Memphis was staring through her again, that same kind, concerned expression on his face. "You can't keep them forever, Lindsey. They're going to move on with their lives at some point. Do you want to be left here with nothing when they do?"

She didn't answer.

"Live your life now, while you still can," he pleaded, taking her by her upper arms and squeezing them. "Please don't make the same mistakes I have."

She met his eyes. They were pleading for her to agree with him. God, it had been so long since she'd seen him. He looked older… wiser… but stressed and worried. Fine lines creased his forehead. There was a tiredness about him that she'd never felt before. It shocked her. Memphis, the energetic, intelligent, enthusiastic car thief who lived for the moment was tired. She didn't understand.

She shook her head. "I just don't think Yorgi will let me go."

"I can handle him," Memphis assured her. "Now, I want you to get your stuff and let's go home. Tomorrow's Thanksgiving and you should spend it with the people who care about you. And don't you worry about Yorgi."

"Okay, Memphis," she whispered.

He smiled at her and pulled her to his chest, squeezing her tightly. She felt that warm, bubbling sensation again. Memphis made her feel safe.

Goku cleared his throat as he approached them.

"She's moving back into the house," Memphis stated. "By the way, I'm Memphis. I'm an old friend of Yorgi's." He extended a hand.

Goku took it and shook his hand, but kept the same, stern gaze. "I don't know if she's ready for that."

"She is," Memphis said, looking at Lindsey. "You'll never be able to tell if you don't trust her enough to give her a chance."

Goku blinked. "I don't suppose I can argue with you there." He turned to her. "Do you think you can handle it?"

Lindsey licked her lips. She wanted so badly to go home (if nothing else, to sleep in a warm bed and have a hot shower.) But she was scared. The drugs she had come to depend on were nothing but a couple doors away when she returned home.

"Do you think you can resist the temptation to use drugs again?" Goku pressed.

"By the way," Memphis drawled, "who sold you the drugs in the first place?"

Lindsey's stomach lurched. Despite everything else, this was the one question that hadn't been asked yet. "It doesn't matter," she mumbled.

"Yes, it does," Memphis insisted. "Cause I'm gonna kill whoever brought that shit into that house. Alcohol, cigarettes, hell even weed is acceptable. Hard drugs? No. EVERYONE knows that."

Lindsey turned her back to both of them. She couldn't tell Memphis who had sold her the cocaine. It would break his heart.

"Lindsey," Memphis said, "you gotta tell me."

She turned to face him again. "I don't remember."

He sighed. "You're a terrible liar."

"I know," she whispered.

"Look, whoever it was, obviously needs help, too. They're just better at hiding it than you were."

"The person I bought it from isn't a daily user like I was," she answered. "I don't think he's nearly as hooked as I was."

Goku fixed his eyes on hers. "Who was it?"

She licked her lips again, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "I can't say. Don't make me say it."

"I need to know," Memphis said.

Lindsey took a long breath, hating herself for doing this to him. "It was Kip."

Memphis blinked his pale green eyes repeatedly, tilting his head to the side and leaning towards her. "Wh… what did you say?"

"It was…." She repeated.

"No, I heard you," he cut across her, holding his hands up, speaking through gritted teeth. "You mean to tell me that Kip… my kid brother Kip… is shooting up cocaine and selling it?!"

Lindsey winced.

Memphis ran a hand down his long, slender face. "Who else?"

"Memphis, I-"

"Tell me now." There was no anger in his voice towards her, but the look in his eyes was murderous.

She swallowed hard. "Tumbler."

"Whaaaaaat?" he asked in disbelief.

"I never bought from Tumbler," she explained quietly, casting a nervous glance at Goku, whose expression was unreadable. "But he was there the… the first time I used it."

Memphis shook his head slowly. "I can't believe this. Those two…"

"They made me swear to never tell," she pleaded. "Memphis, please."

"No," he answered. "I have to save my brother. You did the right thing."

"They're going to hate me," she whined.

"Their lives are more important than some stupid promise they made you give them." Memphis ran a hand through his hair, turning away from her, still shaking his head.

"I think he's right, Lindsey," Goku said. "I think we need to get this wedding done as quickly as possible and get back home to Japan."

Lindsey blinked up at Goku. "You mean, we're done training?"

Goku nodded. "Yeah, for now. Don't worry," he laughed. "I'm not done with you yet. I can't wait to watch you and Gohan spar."

Her eyes went wide. She'd never tried to fight with Gohan before, not even playing around. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

"So what's the plan?" Goku asked lightly.

Memphis turned back around. "Tomorrow's Thanksgiving," he answered. "We'll not do anything until at least the day after. No sense in ruining the holiday." He stepped closer. "Let's get your stuff and go up to the house. I'll talk to Yorgi for you."

Lindsey looked at him for a long moment before she hugged him again. "I missed you," she whispered.

"Me too, kiddo."

The warehouse was blissfully warm as the three of them tromped inside, stomping their boots on the cement floor of the garage, knocking the snow from their feet. The garage was empty. Memphis led the way through the house to Yorgi's room and entered without knocking.

"Son of a-" Yorgi growled, then stopped himself. "Memphis! My old friend!" Yorgi stepped forward and threw his arms around Memphis's shoulders, clapping him on the back.

"Good to see you, Yorgi," Memphis smiled.

Yorgi blinked at Lindsey as he released Memphis. "Little Dove, what are you doing here?"

"She's ready to come home," Memphis answered.

Yorgi eyed him uncertainly. "How do you know?"

"I just do, alright?"

Yorgi looked to Goku, who nodded. "I think she is."

"You would trust her alone with your son?" Yorgi asked.

Goku tipped his head to the side for a moment, considering. "Yeah," he answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I think I do."

"You would trust her alone with my brother?" Yorgi asked, cocking an eyebrow. It had been no secret that Kolya had given her the marijuana.

Goku nodded again. "Yeah. I do. She knows what she has to lose."

"Do you trust yourself?" he asked her in a low voice.

She took a deep breath. "I think I can handle it."

He walked to her and grabbed her chin, tipping her face up towards his. "Little Dove, if you slip, you know the consequences. Are you sure you're ready to try this?"

"Yes," she breathed.

He stared at her for a long time. "Okay, I allow you to come home."

A tiny smile pulled at her lips. "Thanks, Yorgi."

He turned to Goku. "I trust your judgment on this one."

"Can I go back to my room now?" Lindsey asked, hiking her bag up on her shoulder.

"Just one more thing first," Goku answered.

Her shoulders slumped. "What?"

"You have to explain everything to Gohan."

Lindsey pressed her lips together in a thin line, her eyes looked apologetic, and she nodded.

"Okay, then, go."

Lindsey's heart was pounding in her chest as she neared her bedroom door. Her hand trembled as she reached for the doorknob. She turned it and creaked the door open slowly, peering into the room. It was empty. She sighed, relief and disappointment flooding through her. She wanted to see Gohan terribly, but she was nervous about it at the same time. She kicked the door open the rest of the way and tromped into the room, throwing herself into her computer chair and dropping her bags on the floor. She pulled her boots and her socks off and flexed her toes. She was grateful Gohan wasn't there yet. She would at least like a proper shower before he saw her.

It had been nearly two months since she'd laid eyes on her fiancé. Nearly two months since she'd even heard his voice. She was surprised as the realization of it hit her. They had never gone this long without contact. It had been September when she'd overdosed and now it was the day before Thanksgiving. She wondered how he'd dealt with being here alone without her. Did he still love her? Two months seemed like a very long time. Would he still want to marry her? She bit her lip in worry. She'd been so wrapped up in herself, so selfishly concerned with her own problems, she hadn't even given consideration to how this whole thing had affected Gohan. She felt like a terrible person. But she was going to make it up to him.

Pushing herself up from the chair, she tore away the dirty clothes and tossed them into the hamper. She stuck the bags in her closet and headed for the bathroom. She hadn't looked in the mirror in a long time. She was nervous to see the person that would look back at her. She creaked open the door that had yet to be repaired from Goku kicking it open. She stared at the cracked doorframe, rubbing the bridge of her nose in shame. 'It really was that bad,' she thought to herself. She closed the door behind her and turned to the vanity, staring into the black sink. Her fingers gripped the carved marble top, steeling herself. With a deep breath, she looked up.

There in the glass stood a completely foreign person to her. She gasped and touched her face, staring into the mirror. Dirty as it was, her hair was long again – longer than it had been before. Her shoulders were rounded and her arms had long, lean muscles. You could still see her collar bones, but they didn't jut out painfully like a starving person anymore. Although she was still pale, her skin had a kind of healthy glow to it. The freckles across her nose and cheeks stood out vibrantly against her pale tone. But it was her eyes that surprised her the most. No longer flat and hallow, her eyes had a sparkle once more. There was a fire there, a kind of calm confidence that she was amazed to see in herself.

She continued to stare at her reflection for several more minutes before she was able to tear herself away and turn on the shower. The hot water felt incredible. A month of living in the woods made her appreciate little things all the more. She scrubbed at her scalp with the flowery shampoo, the dirt and sweat rinsing away.

An hour later she forced herself to turn off the shower and dress. She walked across her bedroom, stopping every couple of steps and rubbing her shins together. It was so nice to finally shave her legs. She felt human again. She pulled on a pair of jeans and a black tank top, wondering where Gohan was and whether she should wait for him to return to her room or if she should go looking for him. She longed to see him again, but the nervousness about how he would feel towards her held her back.

She dried her hair and started to pull it back like she's grown accustomed to while in the woods, but thought better of it and decided she was proud to have her hair back and left it to hang down in big curls. She had just finished putting on some mascara when she heard the door to her bedroom open.

"Let me get my coat and I'll meet you guys out at the hill!" Gohan called loudly.

Catie's voice answered, "We'll get the sleds and see you there!"

Lindsey tiptoed quickly out of the bathroom to the foot of her bed, clinging to the bedpost and staring at Gohan who was looking over his shoulder. He wore a tight black turtleneck and jeans with heavy black boots. She thought he'd never looked so good in his life. Her breath caught in her chest. Every defined muscle stood out from under his shirt. His black eyes gleamed as he smiled at his friends in the hallway. His spiked black hair, his perfect posture, his bright smile, everything about him was perfect to her. Her knees trembled and she clutched the bedpost tightly for support.

"We're gonna have to have a race," Trunks' voice called.

Gohan laughed. "Sure. Whatever you say!" He stepped further into the room and shut the door. He turned around and nearly fell over when he saw his fiancée standing there. "L-Lindsey?"

"Hi," she answered in a voice so quiet he could barely hear her.

They stood frozen, staring at each other, neither sure what to say. She bit her lower lip uncertainly. Gohan's chest was rising harshly as he struggled to catch his breath. She was here. Two months of not seeing her, not hearing her voice, smelling her perfume, and now here she was, staring at him and he couldn't move a muscle.

"Hi," he breathed. 'Great answer,' he scolded himself.

"Gohan, I…"

"Shut up," he said and quickly crossed the room to her, hauling her into his arms and smothering her mouth with his own.

She melted into his kiss. His strong arms around her waist held her several inches off the floor and she drew her feet up, wrapping her arms around his neck. His kiss was warm and tasted of cinnamon. She didn't know how long they stayed like that. It didn't matter. Everything else faded away and nothing existed but him.


	44. Drunken Sledding

"I can't believe you're here," Gohan breathed, his forehead pressed against Lindsey's, staring into her eyes.

"Me either," she answered. Her eyes closed as tears slid down her cheeks.

"Why are you crying again?" he asked softly, pulling slightly away from her and wiping the tears away.

"Because I'm so happy to see you," she sniffled. She gave a watery laugh and smiled at him. "I've missed you so."

Gohan swallowed hard as if he was resisting the urge to cry, too. "I missed you more."

Lindsey took a deep breath and slicked her red curls out of her face. "Gohan, I have to talk to you." She took his hands and pulled him to sit next to her on the bed. "I don't even know where to start."

He didn't say anything and waited patiently for her to continue.

"I have lied to you so much," she began. "I just didn't know how to handle it. I've dealt with a lot in my life, Gohan. My dad dying, the stupid stunts I've pulled, the problems with the Johnsons all these years, the battles with Kamahina and Radmis and Sigourney… but this was hands-down the single worst experience of my life."

"Lindsey, you don't have to-"

"Yes, I do," she interrupted. "I have to make you understand."

"Understand what?"

"Why I did what I did. I was trying to escape. When I was asleep, all I did was relive the whole thing over and over. And when I was awake, I was too tired and hurt to deal with it. I started drinking just so I could sleep. That's all I wanted. But then I was hung over. So I went to Kolya to ask him what I should do. And he… that's when he gave me the weed."

"Were you really using it every day?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," she sighed, staring at her hands. "First thing when I got up in the morning and at night when I would soak in the bath."

"But," Gohan stammered, "I was usually right here!"

She nodded. "I know."

"Goes to show you how much I know," he muttered. "I thought you were burning incense in there."

Lindsey snorted. "Yeah… incense."

Gohan shook his head and stared at the floor for a minute. "So why the cocaine, then?"

She shook her head and shrugged. "Because it was there," she answered. "And once I'd tried it, it was all I wanted. It made me energetic, confident, friendly, talkative… It… made me feel normal again."

"God, Lins," Gohan sighed.

"Gohan, I have been an incredibly selfish person. I've lied to you, done things behind your back… I… I don't like that person. I don't want to be that person anymore. I'm not gonna be that person anymore. I've been mean, selfish, vain, bitchy, two-faced, self-centered… take your pick."

"All of the above?" Gohan said light-heartedly.

Lindsey tipped her head to the side, "Yeah, pretty much." She looked up at him and fixed her eyes on his. "I am not that person anymore Gohan. I promise you that."

He nodded. "Okay."

She took his face in her hands. "I mean it, Gohan. I will never keep a secret from you again. I will never go behind your back again. I love you more than life itself. I just want to go back to Japan and start over with you."

He blinked. "You want to leave here?"

She nodded. "I don't like the way this place makes me anymore. It's not who I am now. I just want to marry you and go back to Japan… maybe find a little house out in the country…"

Gohan suddenly threw his arms around her, pulling her close. "I have waited so long for you to say that."

She blinked and leaned back away from him. "What?"

"I was hoping you'd want to go home with me," he smiled. "But I wasn't going to say anything. I was going to stay here if that's what you wanted."

"No," she said harshly. "I want to get out of here."

"When do you want to leave?" he asked.

"I'd like to spend the holidays here," she admitted. "Just to spend a little more time with everyone. That way we can make plans and say a proper goodbye before we go."

"Yelena's going to be livid if she's done all this wedding planning and we don't go through with it. You know that, right?" Gohan asked.

"Well, we could do it here before we leave," she said. "Maybe then go on a honeymoon and go back to Japan after that."

Gohan blinked, rolling her words over in his head. "That actually sounds like a great idea."

She smiled.

"So when do you want to do it?" he asked.

Lindsey licked her lips, butterflies tearing up her stomach. "Well," she started. She stood and pulled Gohan to his feet. Still holding his hands, she sunk to one knee and asked, "Gohan, will you marry me on New Year's Eve?"

He grinned widely, his eyes dancing with excitement. "YES!" He yanked her into his arms and kissed her again.

"You forgive me?" she asked.

"I already did a long time ago," he smiled, kissing her over and over.

"We should tell Yelena," Lindsey said.

"Are you kidding?" Gohan laughed. "We should tell everyone! Come on!" He grabbed her hand and ran for the door.

Giddy and silly as a couple of kids, they ran hand and hand down the hallway, Lindsey still barefoot, laughing and tripping, stopping to kiss over and over. They came upon Kolya on the next floor and he ran between them, breaking their hands apart yelling, "RED ROVER!"

Lindsey and Gohan laughed and she yelled at Kolya, "We're getting married!"

He blinked at them as they joined hands again and ran off along the hall.

"I knew that," he mumbled to himself, completely confused.

They reached Yelena's door and Lindsey slapped it repeatedly, shouting, "Yelena! Open up! Yelena!"

There was no answer.

Lindsey pounded harder on the door. "YELENA!"

Finally the door creaked open and Yelena stuck her head out. She was wearing a long blonde wig, and was shielding her body behind the door. "What?" she hissed.

Gohan blinked at her and Lindsey laughed out loud.

"I'm busy!" Yelena scolded.

"We're getting married!" Lindsey proclaimed.

"No shit," Yelena growled.

"On New Year's Eve!" Lindsey added.

"THIS New Year's Eve?" Yelena gasped, her eyes wide. "I cannot plan you wedding in that time!"

"Sure you can," Gohan smiled.

"We have faith in you," Lindsey said.

Forgetting herself for a moment, Yelena let the door to her room fall open further, revealing the black leather corset and thigh-high stockings she wore, a riding crop dangling from her wrist.

"YELENA!" Yorgi roared from inside the bedroom.

Lindsey gasped, "You ARE busy."

Yelena grabbed the door and pushed it in front of herself again, leaning over to look at them. "We talk about this later."

"You've got chocolate sauce on your boobs, by the way," Lindsey giggled.

Yelena slammed the door in their faces.

Gohan's entire face was bright red. Lindsey fell back against the door, laughing loudly.

"Wow," Gohan snickered. "Just… wow."

"Maybe I oughta wear something like that for you," Lindsey purred, leaning against his chest.

"I could do without the whip, though," he laughed, kissing her again.

"Let's go tell Catie and Trunks," Lindsey grinned.

Gohan slapped a hand to his forehead. "I forgot! I'm supposed to be meeting them outside! We were going sledding!"

Lindsey glanced around. "But it's after dark!"

"So?"

Lindsey shrugged. "Okay. Let's go!"

"Wheeeeeeee!" Catie screamed as she slid down the long, steep hill on her metal saucer. She began to spin towards the bottom, finally coming to a stop.

"My turn!" Seventeen yelled, holding his sled in front of his chest, taking a run at the hill and diving forward, speeding down the hill face-first. He lost control about two-thirds of the way down and was dumped from the sled and rolled to the bottom. He laid flat in the snow, laughing loudly. "This is so much fun!"

"I'm coming to save you!" Leelee shouted, sitting on her sled and taking off.

"Trunks!" Gohan called, crunching through the snow to his best friend.

"There you are!" Trunks grinned. "We were wondering when you'd…" His voice trailed off. "Lindsey!"

She smiled widely at him. "Hi, Trunks!"

Even though the sun had set a couple hours before, it was still incredibly light outside. The full moon reflected off the snow, giving the world a beautifully black-and-white tone. Trunks' nose and cheeks were pink from the cold and his breath hung in the air.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm done training," she answered. "And guess what?"

"What?"

"We're getting married!" she exclaimed, hanging on Gohan's arm.

Trunks laughed. "We kind'a knew that already."

"Lindsey!" Catie gasped as she reached the top of the hill. She ran forward and hugged her friend. "Oh my god, I can't believe you're here!"

"We're getting married!" Lindsey repeated. She couldn't help it. The words sounded sweet and she loved saying it.

"Yeah, I know!" Catie giggled.

"No, I mean, soon!" Lindsey went on. "New Year's Eve!"

"Oh my gosh!" Catie cried, hugging her friend again.

Lindsey grabbed both of Catie's hands, her eyes dancing. "Will you be my maid of honor?"

Catie blinked repeatedly. "Wha… Yes! Of course I will!"

Lindsey squealed and hugged Catie for the third time in two minutes.

"Congrats, man," Trunks said, shaking hands with Gohan.

"You'll be my best man, won't you?" Gohan asked.

"Well sure!" Trunks laughed. "I'm honored!"

Catie grabbed Gohan in a big hug. "I'm so happy for you guys!"

Trunks smiled at Lindsey. "I'd give ya a hug, but…"

She didn't let him finish. She threw herself into his arms, squeezing him tightly.

"Where's Leelee and Seventeen?" Gohan asked, looking around.

Trunks broke away from Lindsey and looked down the hill. "There they are."

Leelee was laying on Seventeen's chest in the snow.

"Quit sucking his face off!" Catie shouted.

Leelee raised a gloved hand and flipped off her friend.

"Let's break 'em up," Lindsey said quietly to Catie, grabbing a sled.

"Look out below!" Catie yelled, throwing a sled under her as she took off down the hill, Lindsey right behind her.

Trunks and Gohan nearly fell over laughing as Leelee and Seventeen scrambled to get out of the way of Catie's and Lindsey's sleds.

"Bunch of rookies," came Xander's deep voice.

Gohan and Trunks turned to see Xander and Kolya setting a keg down in the snow. Xander stood up straight, pulling his heavy fur-lined coat tighter.

"Huh?" Trunks asked.

"You can't drunken sled without a keg," Xander answered.

"Whoo! Drunken sledding!" Sabriena screamed, trying to run through the deep snow.

"We're not drinking," Trunks said.

"Then you're REALLY not doing it right," Sabriena said. She had a long purple sled tucked under her left arm and a bag of cheap plastic red cups in her right hand. "Me first! Me first!"

Trunks and Gohan blinked at each other.

A couple minutes later, Sabriena sat on the sled, a red cup raised high above her head, full to the top with beer.

"What's the point exactly?" Gohan asked as Lindsey and Catie returned to the top of the hill, followed closely by Seventeen and Leelee.

"However much beer is left in your cup at the bottom of the hill, you have to drink," Xander answered. He turned and leaned down to Sabriena. "Ready?"

Sabriena nodded and Xander gave her a shove. She flew down the hill, holding the cup in the air, screaming, "EEEEEEEEE!" the whole way down.

Kolya filled a cup and snatched Catie's sled. He shouted something in Russian as he took off down the hill, spinning in circles intentionally.

"Oh god, not drunken sledding," Lindsey giggled.

Xander's head snapped around at the sound of her voice. "Hey."

"Howdy," she answered.

"I didn't know you were back," he said.

"Just got in," she smiled.

"Lins, should you be around this stuff?" Trunks asked.

She nodded. "I'm okay. I don't want it."

"Your turn!" Catie cried, shoving a filled cup into Trunks' hand and pushing him towards the hill.

"I am so gonna regret this," Trunks muttered as he sat on a sled.

"You're next," Lindsey teased, giving Gohan a playful shove towards the keg.

"Me? No," Gohan answered.

"Oh come on, let's have a little fun tonight," Lindsey grinned.

Gohan drew a long breath through his nose and huffed. "Oh, alright, I'll try it just once."

"I didn't spill it!" came Trunks' voice from the bottom of the hill.

"DRINK IT!" Xander bellowed back.

"Oh god," Gohan whined as Leelee handed him a full cup and a sled. He sat on the sled and held the cup in the air.

Xander leaned over, grabbing the back of Gohan's saucer, simultaneously giving it a shove and a spin. The world was a spinning mass of white as Gohan pelted down the hill. He came to a stop, the world still spinning around him. He looked at his cup, which was about half-full. He swallowed it down, got uncertainly to his feet, and began the long walk back up the hill.

"Lindsey, what are you doing?" Gohan asked in a stern tone as he watched his fiancée sitting on a sled, a red cup held high above her head.

"It's soda!" she cried. "Come taste it!"

He walked to her, leaned over and sipped from the cup she held above her head. It was Mountain Dew. He laughed. "Okay, okay, my bad."

"I may not be able to get drunk," she grinned, "but I can get a helluva sugar high."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Gohan muttered and gave her sled an unexpected shove with his boot.

"AAAAGGGGHHHHH!" she half-screamed, half-laughed.

"Race you," Seventeen challenged Trunks.

Trunks smirked and, with a slight slur in his voice said, "You're onnn."

Trunks and Seventeen took off down the hill side-by-side, each with a cup held above their heads, reaching over with their free arms, trying to knock the other off his sled.

"Now this is how you do it," Kolya growled, flopping a large black inner tube on the ground. He sat down, holding his beer and called for Sabriena. She ran over, cup in hand and sat on his lap.

Xander laughed and gave them a shove, not paying attention to Trunks and Seventeen, who were squaring off at the bottom of the hill.

"You did not beat me!" Seventeen was shouting.

"I did so!" Trunks retorted.

"Watch out!" Sabriena screamed.

It was too late. Before anyone could react, the inner tube took Trunks out at the knees, who knocked Seventeen over, all four of them immediately becoming a tangle of arms, legs, snow and beer-soaked clothing.

Catie and Leelee nearly died laughing as Lindsey returned to the top of the hill. Gohan was watching them, concerned.

Sabriena jumped up, slicking back pieces of beer-drenched hair out of her face. "You morons!" she screamed and began to slap at Trunks, Seventeen, and Kolya – all of whom laughed at her, which infuriated her more. She tilted her head back, allowing the last couple drops to fall on her tongue and she muttered, "What a waste of good beer."

"Beer fairy to the rescue!" Xander shouted, stepping onto the purple sled, a beer in each hand, and pushed off, riding the sled like a snowboard.

"Beer fairy?" Gohan blinked as he filled his cup again. "Now I have officially heard everything." He shot Lindsey a smile as he sat on his sled and she winked back at him.

"Praise the booze gods!" Sabriena exclaimed as Xander reached the bottom and handed her a cup. She downed it in one and shouted, "ALL HAIL THE BEER FAIRY!"

Gohan shook his head as he started down the hill again, the full cup raised above his head.


	45. Hit the Showers

Leelee and Seventeen stumbled into her bedroom of the warehouse, laughing loudly. Seventeen's shirt was plastered to his chest with sticky beer and Leelee's hair was matted to the side of her face.

"I need a shower," she giggled, pulling off her boots and coat.

"Me first," Seventeen stated, sliding his shirt off.

Leelee blinked at him; the sight of his chiseled abs, his strong chest… her knees suddenly felt weak in a way that had nothing to do with booze. She bit her lip and said softly, "We could shower together."

He shot her a devilish grin and answered, "Sounds like a good time to me."

They couldn't get undressed quickly enough. She tore her jeans from her legs, dropping the dirty clothes on the floor, struggling to unsnap her bra due to the good buzz she had in her brain. Seventeen had yanked his own jeans down, but had forgotten to remove his boots first and fell. Half-naked and tipsy, they both collapsed into a fit of laughter that left their sides hurting and eyes watering.

Leelee finally removed the last piece of clothing she wore and knelt at Seventeen's feet to pull his shoes off. She slid his jeans from his ankles and crawled up his body, pinning him beneath her and captured his mouth with her own. She slowly probed his mouth with her tongue as he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her closer. She broke away to lick her way down his chest, but stopped once she got there. "You taste like stale beer."

He laughed, "You probably do, too."

"To the shower?" she asked as she sat up, still straddling his hips.

Seventeen raised one arm above his head and shouted, "To the shower!"

Giggling, Leelee hurried into the bathroom and quickly turned on the hot water to the large, glass-framed steam shower. She stepped inside and snapped the door behind her, letting the hot water cascade over her head and shoulders, rinsing away the alcohol.

Seventeen got to his feet and shook his head, trying to clear some of the buzz. He finished undressing and walked into the bathroom. Though the glass was foggy, he could still see Leelee. He watched as the tiny rivers of water flowed over her full breasts, down her flat stomach, and over the V between her hips. Something about the breath-taking sight of her naked form sobered him. His first impulse was to jump in the shower and take her right there, but he hesitated. He watched as she lathered her hair and grabbed her loofah, the thick streams of bubbles trailing over her soft curves, the bright white suds contrasting with her beautifully dark skin.

Every second that passed seemed like an eternity as he looked at her. He felt a tightening in his body, a growing desire for her and he gripped himself tightly, slowing stroking as he watched her run her hands over her body. Her hands ran up her stomach and over her breasts, the soap foaming between them and he stroked himself faster, feeling a heat building within him. A small moan escaped his lips and Leelee jumped. She slid a hand across the glass, wiping away the steam, and watched as he pleasured himself, his head tipped back and his eyes closed.

A fire ripped through her body at the sight of him, of his hard length in his hand, of the slightly strained expression on his face. She cracked the door to the shower and said, "Why don't you let me do that?"

Still holding his shaft, he smiled and answered, "I thought you'd never ask." He stepped into the shower and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her lips with his, his body pressing against hers as the water ran over both of them.

Leelee broke the kiss and began to run the soapy bath sponge over Seventeen's chest, admiring the way the soap ran down his body, much the way he had admired her. He locked his fingers behind his head, tipping it back to let the hot water run through his hair as she ran her hands over him. She curled her sudsy fingers around him and began to stroke, making him moan.

"Oh, god, Leelee," he hissed as she gripped him tighter, the soap and hot water making her stroke slick and fast. He reached for the space between her thighs and smiled when she gasped at his feather-light touch. "More?" he asked.

She nodded as she leaned her head back, squeezing him even harder.

He slid a single finger between her legs, enjoying the feel of her trembling in anticipation. Slowly, back and forth he moved his finger until he found the warm wetness of her body. She inhaled sharply as he flicked his finger back and forth, teasing her, making her ache inside.

He was tormenting her and she knew it was on purpose. She quickened her stroke with one hand and reached down to cup him with the other, gently stroking the soft flesh. He retaliated by plunging two fingers deep within her and she cried out in pleasure. It was becoming too much for him then. The touch of both of her hands on him, the slick warmth of her on his fingers…

"I need you now," he groaned.

She withdrew her hands and he pinned her against the shower wall, lifting her up and sliding her back down smoothly over his swollen shaft. Leelee wrapped her legs around his hips as he ground himself into her, filling her, pressing deeper and deeper within her. She gasped and clutched at his back, the hot water streaming over their bodies as they slid against one another.

Seventeen couldn't recall a time when he had been this hard. Her fiery sheath only made the feeling more intense as he drove into her over and over. He loved every sensation of it – the smell of her body wash mixed with her scent, the taste of her skin, the feel of her body clutching at his, the sound of their bodies smacking together with the sheer force of his thrusts – it overwhelmed him and he was consumed by nothing but the thought of bringing her over the edge of ecstasy.

Leelee moaned deep in her throat in a way that startled Seventeen. "Am I hurting you?"

"It hurts soooooo good," she groaned, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tighter to her. "Don't stop. Please, don't stop."

Seventeen quickened his thrusts, bringing his body into hers as hard as he could, both of them crying out as their bodies met repeatedly, every movement pure pleasure. He felt her stiffening in his arms, her wet, hot body tightening over him as she made muffled sounds into the crook of his neck. She shuddered violently for a few moments, then relaxed. He took that as his cue to finish himself. His breathing rapid, Seventeen thrust himself into her as hard and fast as he could, the wetness from her body sliding down his, making him more desperate to fill her with his own. "Come for me, baby," she whispered in his ear.

He felt it then, that burning deep within his groin, the edge of bliss so close. "I'm close," he told her. He cried out, "Oh, fuck!" as he finished, slowing his movements then and finally stopping to catch his breath, leaning his forehead against her chest as he trembled.

"Wow," Leelee breathed, holding him close, her legs still wrapped around his waist.

"Uh-huh," Seventeen agreed, still struggling to catch his breath.

Leelee sighed as he withdrew his body from hers, her feet meeting the tile floor of the shower again, her legs barely able to support her own weight. "I'm so tired," she mumbled as she turned to the hot water again.

"Let's go to bed, then," Seventeen said, reaching over and shutting the shower off. They stepped out, grabbing towels and dried themselves as they returned to the bedroom.

Seventeen yanked back the covers and flopped on the bed, tossing the towel on the floor.

"Pajamas?" Leelee asked.

"Fuck pajamas," he answered, rolling over and pulling the blankets over himself.

"But it's cold," she protested.

"Then come snuggle up with me and we'll be warm."

Too tired to argue, Leelee crawled into bed next to him and curled up beside him, falling almost instantly into a deep, peaceful sleep.


	46. Thanksgiving

The house was full to bursting the next day as friends and family gathered for the Thanksgiving feast. The dining table had had its extra leaves installed, stretching the enormous table even longer to accommodate so many people. The table had been laid with the finest china and crystalline stemware. The smell of roasting turkey, fresh-made bread rolls, and green bean casserole wafted throughout the house, making everyone's stomachs grumble in anticipation of the long-awaited feast.

"Oh man, I'm so excited!" Goku proclaimed as they finally sat down to eat. "I've heard about Thanksgiving, but this is even better than I expected."

"Is excellent American tradition," Kolya agreed, scooting his chair closer to the table. He reached for a bread roll when Yorgi barked at him.

"You must say prayer now," Yorgi stated. "You reached for food first."

Kolya sighed heavily and got to his feet. He bowed his head and everyone at the table did the same. He seemed to consider his words for a minute before saying in a very somber tone "Dear Lord, I know without doubt, you bless this food as we pig out. We ask miracle on this feast so good, remove the calories from the food. Good food, good meat, good God, let's eat. AMEN."

Yorgi's eyes snapped open as Kolya proudly sat back down and Catie pinched her nose to keep from snorting in laughter.

"Good enough for me!" Goku cried and helped himself to the heavily laden table.

Yorgi slowly shook his head as everyone began filling their plates.

Leelee was picking miserably at her food, wincing in pain as she chewed.

"What's wrong with her?" Eighteen asked her brother.

"She's hung over," Seventeen snickered.

"Best hang-over food everrrrrr," Sabriena drawled, taking a huge bite of turkey and looking exceptionally tired.

"Thith ith delithious," Goku said through a mouthful of dressing.

"We'll have to do this when we go back to Japan," Gohan said quietly to Lindsey and she nodded.

Yorgi's head snapped their direction and he narrowed his eyes, but didn't say anything.

"I couldn't have planned this any better," Jenny said happily, digging into her own plate. "Pregnant at Thanksgiving! I can't think of a better reason to be thankful."

"Trunks, are you okay?" Chichi asked in a concerned tone, watching as he rubbed at his eyes while eating slowly.

"He's hung over too," Seventeen smirked.

Everyone fell quiet and the only sounds were those of silverware clinking against plates. Unexpectedly, there was a booming chime from the doorbell.

"I get it," Yelena said, standing and setting her napkin on the table next to her plate. She disappeared through the heavy doors of the dining room.

Everyone sat in anticipation of who could be calling on a holiday. There were muffled voices and then Yelena started yelling. Yorgi, Kolya and Kirill got to their feet as the doors banged open and Yelena's voice shouted, "You no come in here! Where you warrant?"

Two officers marched directly for Yorgi, grabbing his arms and pinning them behind his back, barking, "Yorgi Ovcharova, you are wanted for the disappearance of Tobias Shavers. You have a right to remain silent…"

"Filthy pigs!" Yorgi shouted at them, struggling to shake them off. The taller of the two officers gave Yorgi's arm a nasty twist, doubling him over and slamming his face against the table.

Yelena burst into the room, two more officers directly behind her. "Where you warrant?" she screamed at them.

One of the offices beside her brandished a folded piece of blue paper and handed it to her. She looked it over and huffed through her nose.

The handcuffs clicked into place and Yorgi was pulled up to a standing position. "Call my lawyer," he told Yelena.

"Let him go!" Lindsey shouted, jumping to her feet. "You worthless pigs! Let him go!"

Gohan got to his feet, grabbing her by the arms. "Stop."

"I be back soon, Little Dove," Yorgi smiled. "They haff nothing."

Catie sat with her hands to her face, her eyes brimming with tears. "Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no."

Yorgi was led back out of the dining room and one of the officers raised a hand saying, "Sorry to disrupt your dinner, folks."

"Like hell you are," Xander spat at them.

As the officers left, Yelena flopped miserably into her chair. Her lips were pressed tightly together as she screwed up her face, fighting the tears that were threatening to fall. She shook her head angrily.

"Yelena?" Jenny asked in a soft voice.

Yelena shook her head harder, then slammed her hands on the table and got to her feet again, screaming in Russian.

"Yelena, my love, stop," Kirill said calmly.

She stared at him for a moment, then nastily spat angry Russian words at him. He looked hurt and sat back down, saying no more.

"And you," she rounded on Kolya.

"You no start with me," he said in a dangerous tone as he sat back down in his chair.

She crossed the room to him and started angrily slapping every inch of him she could reach. "I knew it! I KNEW IT!"

Kolya seemed to be exerting an enormous amount of self-restraint as he flinched and leaned away from her slaps.

"You ignorant bastard!" she screamed at him and backhanded him across the face, her ring splitting his cheek.

That was the final straw for Kolya. He jumped to his feet and grabbed her harshly by the wrists. "YOU STOP!"

Yelena cowered and tried to writhe away, but Kolya held her slender wrists tightly. His face was turning red as he growled something to her in their native tongue. Her eyes went wide as she looked at him, tears sliding down her face. He practically threw her own arms at her as he released her and she stumbled a couple of steps and then ran from the dining room.

"Kolya," Lindsey said.

He glanced at her, narrowing his eyes.

"What happened to Toby?"

"I not know," he said roughly, sitting back in his chair once more. "But Yorgi have nothing to do with it."

"Toby's missing?" Leelee asked.

"If he is, they probably think Yorgi had something to do with it because of the trial," Sabriena said, helping herself to another roll. "Don't worry about it. Yorgi will be home in a couple hours."

Everyone returned to their meal, but the atmosphere had taken a decidedly sour turn. After dessert, the table was cleared, the leftovers stowed away in the refrigerators, and the dishes piled in the sink.

Most of the guys headed to the garage to watch football, but Goku grabbed Shayne's arm and stopped him.

"Do you think they did something to that kid?" Goku asked Shayne in a quiet voice.

"It wouldn't surprise me if they did," Shayne answered. "And if I find out they did, I'll shake their hand for it. He deserves it for what he did to my sister."

"He told the truth," Goku said. "He was right about the drugs."

"He made my sister out to look like a whore," Shayne spat. He turned to face Goku more squarely. "Do you know what people in town are saying about her? I know I wasn't involved much with the trial or with her recovering. That's the way she wants it. I've raised my sister the best I know how, but I'm not her father. And she resents me for it. I know she does. Our family isn't like yours, Goku. It's broken. She hasn't even asked me to be in the wedding. She hasn't asked any of our brothers to be part of it. We're just not as close as we used to be. But that doesn't mean that I don't love her. She's my sister and I would do anything for her. If I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in prison, I'd murder those fuckers for what they did to her. I'd go to their house right now and shoot 'em in the fucking face in the middle of their goddamn Thanksgiving dinner."

Goku continued to stare at Shayne, but didn't say anything.

"You know he deserved whatever he got," Shayne said. "You know it."

Goku started to say something, but paused as Gohan walked by. Shayne suddenly reached out and grabbed Gohan by the front of his shirt and yanked him into the conversation.

"Whoa! What's up?" Gohan asked.

"Listen to me," Shayne said, his green eyes filled with a sort of desperation. Gohan was startled to see his eyes were the same as Lindsey's. "Take my sister and get her away from this place."

"Wha?"

"Give her the life I couldn't," Shayne pleaded. "She can't stay here. It'll destroy her. Take her somewhere safe where all of this can't follow. She needs that. She needs you. Get my baby sister out of this cesspool of a town. I'm begging you."

"Well, that was our plan," Gohan said.

"She agreed to go with you?"

Gohan nodded. "Yeah. It was her idea, actually."

Shayne breathed a sigh of relief. "I know you all probably think I'm horrible. But I want her gone. I want her to have a good life away from this place. That's why I stepped aside. I don't want to be a reason for her to stay."

"We'll take care of her," Goku promised.

"Thank you," Shayne said in an almost defeated sort of way. He ran a hand through his short brown hair and sighed.

"C'mon, bro, the Chiefs are playing!" Patrick grinned, strolling up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Shayne sighed.

Patrick cocked an eyebrow. "Lyin' sack o' shit."

Shayne shook his head. Patrick linked arms with him and drug him out towards the garage.

* * *

A winter storm was raging outside by the time Yorgi returned to the warehouse. He marched through the garage door, stomping snow from his boots, the frigid winter air slamming the door behind him.

"Yorgi!" Lindsey and Jenny cried, hurrying over to him.

"Oh, I'm so glad you're okay," Lindsey breathed.

"I told you I be back soon," he smiled.

"What happened?" Jenny asked.

"Toby went missing from his apartment," Yorgi answered. "They found the door kicked in and blood on his sheets."

"Oh my gosh," Jenny gasped.

"He deserved whatever he got," Lindsey muttered angrily.

Jenny nodded in agreement. "There are lots of people who don't like him," Jenny added. "It could have been anyone."

Yorgi smiled at Jenny and gave her shoulders a squeeze. He waited until she had walked across the garage and sat next to Piccolo before Yorgi leaned in next to Lindsey's ear and whispered, "You're welcome."

She blinked in shock and turned to him, her eyes searching his. They held a kind of satisfied sparkle to them that turned her blood to ice.

"You…" she breathed.

"You remember this. I risk my freedom to avenge you," he said, still speaking in a whisper. And without saying anything more, he strode across the garage and disappeared into the house.


	47. The First Christmas Present

The winter storm continued throughout the night and was still going strong the next morning. Shayne and Patrick had been brave enough to try their chances with the roads to return home, but the Z-Fighters had been enjoying themselves so much that they ended up staying until well into the night, and spent the night at the warehouse. In lieu of going black Friday shopping, the girls had decided to stay in and decorate for Christmas.

"Wow, look at this place!" Goku exclaimed as they entered the formal living room. Five Christmas trees had been brought into the room and stood throughout. A particularly large one, well over twelve feet tall, stood at the front of the room, glowing with tiny white lights. Lindsey and Catie were meticulously placing the fragile glass ornaments on its branches.

Jenny was sitting near the blazing fireplace, her feet propped up on an ottoman, watching the others and directing them where to place certain decorations. Piccolo stood near her leaning against the mantle. Yorgi sat in the chair across from her, contentedly watching as the decorations went up.

"Sonuvabitch," Trunks growled, fighting to untangle a long strand of Christmas lights that were wound together in a large, tangled ball.

"Smarter than the lights, Trunks," Gohan teased, pulling a wreath from a box.

"You two aren't helping any," Sabriena hissed at Seventeen and Leelee, who were wrapped in garland and snogging in the corner. Sabriena bent over a box and pulled out a small bunch of greenery. "Oooo! Mistletoe."

"You give me kiss," Kolya purred at her, bending towards her.

She shoved the mistletoe in the back of her jeans, allowing it to trail over the top of the pocket. "Now you can kiss my ass."

"With pleasure," Kolya said and walked closer.

"Kolya, no!" she screamed and ran as he gave chase.

"You're making a mess," Vegeta sneered at them as Sabriena bounced past, giggling and screaming, bits and pieces of the mistletoe trailing behind her.

Goku swatted at something that brushed his ear.

Xander strolled in, carrying a large box with more strands of lights trailing out of it. "Who wants to go on the roof?"

Goku felt something in his hair again and grabbed his head, pulling a small bunch of pine needles from his hair. He looked up at the tree. Lindsey hovered there, giggling.

"Ha ha, very funny," Goku laughed.

"You pickin' on my dad?" Gohan asked, walking over to them.

"Mm-mmm," Lindsey shook her head.

"Gohan, take care of my light work," Goku said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder at Lindsey.

"Yep," Gohan answered, dropping the wreath on the floor and rising into the air.

Lindsey shrieked and giggled, moving to the other side of the tree as Gohan hovered at the same height. Side to side they moved, she keeping the tree between them as a shield.

"You can't hide behind the tree forever," Gohan growled.

Xander blinked up at them. "This Saiyan shit is so weird…"

Jenny shifted uncomfortably in her chair. There it was again. That tightening feeling she'd been experiencing for the past month, only now it was starting to hurt. She got to her feet and Piccolo moved to help her.

"Just gotta go to the bathroom," she smiled and walked carefully towards the large bathroom off of the living room. As she sat down, she noticed a small wet spot on the seat of her maternity pants. "Oh god," she whispered. "I've peed myself again." She shook her head, once again angry at the weird things that pregnancy did to her body that no one warned her about.

She finished and stood up to flush the toilet, then blinked in shock at the flash of pink she saw on the paper in the bowl. Where had that come from? Her mind was racing. She wasn't due for two more weeks. Could she be in labor already? Her knees shook as her stomach tightened again, the cramping feeling getting stronger. "OH god. Oh god, oh god, oh god," she whispered. She wasn't ready. Two weeks seemed like such a long time. She wanted that time – to prepare, to get everything set up – she needed that time.

The cramping feeling eased away and Jenny sighed shakily. "It's just the food I ate," she told herself. She leaned on the vanity, staring into the oval shaped mirror with its gilded golden frame. "It's not time yet," she said, "it's not time yet." Just as she was steeling herself to leave the bathroom, another wave of cramping washed over her and she quickly sat on the toilet again as a small rush of fluid left her body. "Oh fuck. Oh fuck." The pain was stronger this time and she leaned her face against the cool wall, breathing heavily. "Not now," she whined. When the pain ebbed away again, she stood, washed her face in the sink, and, trying to keep her thighs clenched together, left the bathroom.

Walking shakily back into the living room, she watched as Sabriena slapped angrily at Kolya and Trunks heaved the whole wad of Christmas lights onto the tree with an angry yell, nearly toppling it over. Catie and Gohan were circling near the top of the tallest Christmas tree, binding Lindsey to it with Christmas lights as she shouted, "I don't want to be the angel!" Goku and Krillin were doubled over in laughter as Chichi stared in worry at them.

Yorgi eyed Jenny warily as she stood in the middle of the room looking terrified. He tipped his head to the side slightly, a panic rising in his throat as he watched her place her hands on her stomach and wince. He stood slowly, reaching over and touching Piccolo's elbow, then nodding towards Jenny.

Piccolo had been watching the others and hadn't seen Jenny return from the bathroom. She looked pale and sweaty.

"Jenny?" he asked, taking a step towards her.

Catie turned at the concerned sound of Piccolo's voice and saw Jenny there, looking scared. "Aw hell," she murmured and dropped to the floor. She ran to Jenny's side, placing one hand on Jenny's back, gripping Jenny's hand with the other. "You okay?"

Jenny's frightened brown eyes looked up at Catie, begging for comfort or help. "Catie, I…" There was a pressure unlike anything Jenny had ever felt before. She felt like she should squeeze her legs together tighter, but another contraction hit her suddenly and she felt a bigger rush of liquid flow down her legs.

Catie jumped back with a yelp. "Uh, Piccolo…"

Piccolo ran to Jenny's side. "Are you okay?"

Jenny nodded, her face going red. She was horribly embarrassed and felt like she could cry.

"You're okay, you're okay," Catie soothed. She turned and yelled, "Leelee! Get Jenny's hospital bag!"

Without a word, Leelee tore from the room with Seventeen on her heels.

"Kolya," Yorgi barked, "pull the SUV around front."

Kolya's blue eyes were wide in terror as he stood rooted to the spot. Baby… labor… hormonal pregnant lady… bodily fluids… He couldn't move.

"KOLYA!" Yorgi roared, snapping Kolya out of his trance. He took a couple bouncing steps towards the garage door as if his legs weren't working properly, then finally found his feet and sprinted through the doorway.

"Get me down! Get me down, get me down, get me DOWN!" Lindsey screamed, wiggling at the top of the tree, struggling to untie herself from the strand of lights that held her there.

"Oh, sorry!" Gohan gasped and quickly unwound the lights. Lindsey dropped to the floor and ran to Jenny.

"Lindsey," Jenny whispered, looking into her friend's eyes. "I'm scared."

"You're gonna be okay," Lindsey answered, more to her own reassurance than Jenny's.

"Guys," Sabriena stammered, backing away from the room, "I… I gotta go…" and she turned and ran from the room.

"You'd think you were contagious," Catie grumbled.

Jenny managed a laugh, then hissed in pain as another contraction hit her.

"What's taking them so long?" Piccolo growled loudly. As if in answer, Leelee and Seventeen burst back into the room, carrying two suitcases with them and a horn honked loudly outside the front door.

Lindsey ran head and out into the snow, pulling open the driver's door and shouting at Kolya to get out.

"Do not have to tell me twice," he answered and quickly slipped from the seat.

Lindsey was preparing to climb into the SUV when a strong grip closed on her wrist. She turned and saw Xander there, staring harshly at her. "I don't think so."

"X, let go!" she shouted as Piccolo and Catie walked Jenny slowly out of the house and across the slick walkway.

"I'm the faster driver," he stated.

"I'm not as reckless as you," she argued.

Gohan yanked open the door to the backseat as Catie climbed in, gently pulling on Jenny's arm.

"It's too treacherous out here!" Xander shouted. There was snow falling thickly on his shades as he stared at her.

"Exactly! That's why you're not driving!"

"One of you get in and let's get going!" Gohan demanded as he hopped into the passenger's seat and Piccolo slammed the back car door.

Xander released his grip with a nod and Lindsey pulled herself into the tall vehicle.

Trunks stepped forward and grabbed the driver's door. He leaned in slightly and said, "We'll follow you."

Catie nodded to him and he turned to Xander. "C'mon. You drive."

They hurried back into the house as Lindsey threw the SUV into drive and spun it around, heading across the long drive towards the highway.

The snow was falling in thick, heavy flakes as the wind whipped it across the windshield. It was like driving through a vast, white void. The road and other vehicles on it were barely visible. Lindsey flipped on the windshield wipers, but they offered little help.

Jenny was breathing heavily in the backseat, gripped Piccolo's hand on her left and Catie's hand on her right. "Oww," she muttered pitifully.

Gohan turned in his seat to look at her. "How you doin' back there, Jenny?"

She managed a pained smile. "I'm okay."

Piccolo's hand was trembling slightly. In all the battles he'd fought, all the challenges he'd faced, nothing had ever scared him so much as this moment right now. He'd known this day was coming, but no matter how he tried to tell himself it was going to be just fine, he couldn't prepare for this. There was no training for watching the love of your life gasp in such pain. There was no amount of strength that could comfort the frightening realization of being responsible for another life. He felt humbled and weak. There was nothing he could do but sit and hold her hand.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Lindsey screamed as she slammed on the breaks, the SUV continuing forward anyway and she yanked the wheel to the left, the vehicle's backend sliding to the right. She yanked it the other way and brought the car careening towards the left.

"Dammit, Lindsey, watch out!" Gohan shouted.

She gritted her teeth and said nothing, struggling to regain control of the drifting car. "Fucking idiots," she hissed, pulling hard on the wheel, sending them into a spin.

The passengers in her car screamed and braced themselves for an impact. The whole world was a spinning whirl of white.

"They're gonna crash!" Trunks cried as he leaned over the dash of the GTO, watching the SUV spin down the highway.

"Goddamnit, Lindsey," Xander growled, weaving between the slow-moving traffic, trying to keep pace with the out of control black vehicle. He saw the car that had caused her to panic – a slow-moving Oldsmobile with a tiny old man leaning over his steering wheel, creeping along at ten miles an hour.

"Shit," Trunks said, "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

"Don't roll it," Xander breathed, focusing his will on the car. "Don't roll it."

Suddenly, the SUV righted itself and continued to fly straight down the highway as if nothing had happened. Xander and Trunks flopped back against the seats of the GTO, heaving sighs of relief.

"Don't – you – ever – pull – a – stunt – like – that – again!" Jenny screamed, leaning forward and slapping Lindsey with every word.

Lindsey threw her head back and laughed. "I had to make sure you guys were awake!"

"You did that on purpose?!" Gohan screamed.

Lindsey shot him a cocky grin, then concentrated on the road once more.

Gohan slapped a hand to his forehead and leaned back against the door, staring at her. "You are unbelievable."

Lindsey continued to smirk as everyone grumbled at her and calmed their nerves. How could she be pulling stunts like that at a time like this? If they'd looked closer, they would have seen how white her knuckles were on the steering wheel and how her knees were trembling.

They arrived at the hospital a short time later, in one piece and no worse for wear. Catie and Piccolo helped Jenny out of the car and into a waiting wheelchair that was overseen by the hospital staff as Lindsey and Gohan went to park the car.

Jenny was quickly wheeled inside and through the vast foyer to the elevator that would take her up to the maternity ward. Once there, she was quickly checked in (although not quick enough for her liking) and taken to a delivery room, Piccolo and Catie by her side. Catie helped Jenny change into one of the long hospital gowns and then held her hand as she climbed into the hospital bed. The nurse quickly hooked Jenny up to a monitor and placed an IV in the back of her hand.

Piccolo pulled a chair close to Jenny's bedside and took her IV-free hand. "You okay?"

She nodded, shifting uncomfortably as another contraction racked her body again. She'd never felt such pain in her life. It was as though her entire torso was being twisted and ripped in half.

"You're not breathing," Catie scolded.

Jenny let the air rush from her lungs and inhaled deeply. She clenched her teeth and growled against the pain.

"Still not breathing," Catie sighed, flopping down in a chair and staring at her friend.

* * *

Lindsey and Gohan ran into the hospital, banging against the main desk, demanding to know which room Jenny was in. The old nurse at the desk stared at them with a bored expression. "What's your relation to the patient?"

"We're her frie-" Gohan began, but Lindsey cut across him.

"I'm her sister," she lied.

The nurse cocked an eyebrow at her, but sighed and clicked at the computer in front of her. "Room 2214."

Lindsey nodded and grabbed Gohan's hand and pulled him along.

"Only three people in the room at once!" the nurse called after them.

Gohan froze in his tracks as they entered the room, his eyes fixed upon Jenny lying in the bed, writhing in pain. Her hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat and she gripped Piccolo's hand tightly. She clenched her teeth and tried not to cry out.

"Oh, baby girl," Lindsey crooned and walked to Jenny's bedside. She slicked some of the hair of Jenny's sweaty forehead.

Jenny smiled weakly up at her. "Got myself in a mess this time, didn't I?"

"No," Lindsey whispered, crouching down next to her friend. "No, not at all. This baby is going to be wonderful. You wait. You're gonna be the best mommy ever."

Jenny gave a small laugh and swallowed hard. "You think so?"

Lindsey nodded. "I know so."

Gohan found his feet and moved to stand next to Piccolo. "How you holding up?"

"I'm okay," Piccolo answered, never taking his eyes off of Jenny.

Gohan squeezed Piccolo's shoulder.

"Hi Jennifer," a young nurse smiled in a soft voice as she entered the room. "You doing alright?"

"Eh," Jenny shrugged, breathing heavily.

The nurse smiled in an understanding way. "I'm just gonna check you, see how far along your labor is."

Gohan turned suddenly away as the nurse lifted the sheet covering Jenny's lap. Piccolo stared straight into Jenny's eyes, searching them for a sign of assurance, a spark of confidence that he himself did not feel.

"You're at about a six," the nurse said, fixing the sheet back over Jenny's legs. "You're progressing quickly."

"Is… is that good?" Jenny asked nervously.

The nurse nodded. "We might not even have to push pitocin on you. We'll keep checking you every so often, see how it goes."

Jenny nodded, exhaling through pursed lips as another contraction washed over her.

"May we stay with her?" Catie asked politely.

The nurse looked at them for a moment, then answered, "Well, we're only supposed to let three in here, but if you guys kind'a come and go from the room, you should be okay."

"Thanks," Catie smiled.

"Jennifer, I'll come back and check on you in a bit," the nurse said. "Do you need anything for the pain?"

"Can you give her something?" Piccolo asked, desperate for his love to be more comfortable. He felt guilty that she was suffering so, while he sat by unharmed.

"I can get the anesthesiologist in here," the nurse answered. "She's far enough along we can do an epidural."

"No," Jenny gasped. "No drugs."

"Jenny," Piccolo said in a low voice, turning to her again. "I don't like seeing you hurt like this."

"No drugs," she repeated.

"Your call, hon," the nurse said. "Let me know if you change your mind."

Jenny nodded and gripped Piccolo's and Catie's hands tightly.

* * *

Leelee was pacing the floor of the waiting room, chewing on her fingernails.

"I'm sure she's fine," Seventeen said, watching her.

"I'm going nuts," Leelee answered.

"Me too," Goku added, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. "I hate these places."

Vegeta snorted. "Still afraid of needles, Kakarot?"

"Well yeah!" Goku answered, blinking widely as if that was the most ridiculous question he'd ever heard.

Bulma was leaning against a pillar that opened the waiting room up to a large foyer. She looked worried as she stared at the floor, her arms crossed. Trunks walked to her and offered her a small cup of water.

"Something wrong, mom?" he asked.

She gratefully accepted the water and looked up at her son. "I'm just nervous for her, that's all. Labor isn't easy, ya know?"

Trunks sipped from his own paper cup. "Actually, I wouldn't know anything about that."

Bulma shook her head. "I just hope she's doing all right."

The hours seemed to tick by slowly for Anarchy 99 and the Z Fighters as they sat in the lowly-lit waiting room. Kolya had talked Trunks and Xander into a game of cards, but had the cards taken away from him by Yelena when he suggested going to the gas station for a bottle of vodka to make the game more fun. Goku and Krillin were recounting their days of training under Master Roshi, laughing loudly at the old man's eccentricities. Bulma had finally taken a seat next to Chichi as they told, in great detail, their experiences of childbirth while Yelena and Eighteen sat with their noses scrunched - Yelena because she despised children and Eighteen because she didn't believe in sharing such personal information. Yorgi was sitting in the corner, his fingers laced together, quiet and still as a statue.

"Heard any news yet?" came a soft voice.

Yorgi looked up to see Memphis standing there, holding a cup of coffee in each hand. He offered one to Yorgi, who accepted it. "Black, like your soul," he smiled quietly.

Yorgi gave a small smile and nodded.

Memphis sat next to his old friend and sighed. "This is really weird, isn't it?"

Yorgi didn't answer and sipped from his large starbucks cup.

"She's so young," Memphis continued in his soft voice. "She's having a baby, Lindsey's getting married… it's just sort'a bizarre, isn't it?"

Yorgi continued to stare at a spot on the floor.

"They can't stay with us forever, Yorgi," Memphis said, leaning forward on his knees, cradling his coffee in his hands. "This is no place for them to raise their families."

"What make you think Lindsey have her own family?" Yorgi asked, his voice even quieter than Memphis's.

"Oh, I dunno," Memphis answered. "Look at their family." He nodded to Goku playing with Goten as Chichi smiled at them. "I think they're rubbing off on her."

Yorgi's nose scrunched briefly. "We are her family."

"You can't keep them forever," Memphis said.

"My Little Dove would not leave me again," Yorgi said confidently.

"Yes, she will," Memphis argued, never changing his voice. "She has to. It's what's best for her."

Yorgi looked at Memphis out of the corner of his eye, his gaze murderous. "What did you say to her?"

"Nothin'," Memphis replied, sitting back and swigging on his coffee.

"I know you haff something to do with this," Yorgi growled quietly. "I hear Gohan talk about going back to Japan. What idiotic ideas you putting in their minds?"

"I didn't put anything in their heads," Memphis answered. "Nothing that wasn't already there, at least."

"She is not leaving."

"Well I say she is, and that's all there is to it," Memphis answered.

"What makes you think you have say in it?"

"Because as I recall," Memphis answered, his voice dropping to a dangerous tone, "I'm the cofounder of Anarchy 99 and I have just as much pull around here as you do."

Yorgi narrowed his eyes. "You folded," he said nastily.

"It's a new hand, Yorgi," Memphis said, getting to his feet. "And this time, I'm all in."

Yorgi's lips pressed to a thin line, his shoulders trembling slightly in anger.

"You should drink that before it gets cold," Memphis said casually as he walked away.

Yorgi stared in hatred at his old friend and dropped the coffee into the trashcan next to his chair.

* * *

"Okay, you gotta push again," the nurse encouraged Jenny, standing at the end of the bed.

Jenny had been propped up slightly, a foot in each stirrup at the end of her bed, Piccolo holding her right leg while Catie held her left. Lindsey held Jenny's left hand, smoothing Jenny's hair back, speaking in a calming voice. Gohan sat in the corner of the room, feeling terribly uncomfortable and holding a magazine in front of his face as Jenny screamed in agony.

"Okay, rest," the nurse ordered.

Jenny fell back against the bed, panting. "I can't do this," she moaned.

"Yes you can," Piccolo corrected her. "You're strong. You can get through this."

Jenny cried softly. "I'm so tired."

"Shh," Lindsey soothed, still stroking Jenny's hair. "You can do it," she whispered. "You have to. You're almost there."

"Okay, another contraction coming," the nurse stated. "Deep breath. Now… PUSH!"

Jenny strained with all her might, her teeth clenching, every muscle in her body tightening.

"Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop!" the nurse cried. "The head's out! Don't push anymore until we get the doctor in here!" She ran to the door and yelled down to the nurse's station.

"Oh, wow," Catie gasped, staring at the end of Jenny's bed.

Lindsey couldn't bring herself to look. She felt it would be terribly rude to stare at Jenny's body like that.

Piccolo was looking pale.

"Ah, ah, ah," Jenny whined as she felt another contraction coming.

"Don't push! Don't move!" the nurse ordered, rushing back to the end of Jenny's bed.

There was nothing for it. The contraction hit Jenny again and suddenly, the pressure she felt was gone.

"You did it, Jen!" Catie cried happily. "Oh my gosh, you did it!"

The door to Jenny's room banged open just as a tiny cry began to issue from the infant in the nurse's arms.

"Well shit," the doctor hissed. She was a middle-aged lady, thin with short blonde hair, and looked as though she had once been quite pretty. She pushed her square glasses up on her nose.

"It's a girl," the nurse smiled.

Jenny flopped back on the bed, heaving a strong sigh.

The nurse offered to let Piccolo cut the umbilical cord, but he quietly refused. He was feeling overwhelmed to say the least and shakily sat down in the chair next to Jenny as the nurses fussed over the newborn.

"That's my girl," he whispered and pressed his lips to Jenny's forehead.

"You didn't even tear," the doctor said in an impressed sort of way.

"Here you are," the nurse smiled sweetly and laid the bundle of white blanket on Jenny's chest.

Jenny stared in wonder down at the tiny person in her arms. The baby was a perfect blend of herself and Piccolo. Big blue eyes stared up at her, set in a perfectly round face with smooth, pale green skin. She had no antenna as her father did, but her ears were slightly long and pointed at the end. She had a thin layer of lavender colored hair and she blinked at them as if to say, "hello."

Tears welled up in Jenny's eyes as she stared at her daughter. "Hi baby," she whispered.

Piccolo leaned over the bed, his face close to Jenny's, staring at the tiny bundle. A girl? Now he was really worried. But he smiled at the baby as she wrinkled her nose and gave a little baby-smile.

"You want to hold her?" Jenny asked Piccolo softly.

He swallowed hard and nodded. He was amazed at how easily the baby fit into the crook of his arm, how her tiny weight was a comfort to hold. There was a warming in his chest as he stared at the infant in his arms. He'd only felt like this once before in his life. He hadn't expected it then, and he wasn't expecting it now. But there it was – that swooping, falling, crashing feeling of falling instantly in love.

"Hey, kid," he said softly to the baby who snuggled against his chest.

Catie was standing there, beaming, tears sliding down her cheeks. The new baby was absolutely perfect and she felt honored that Jenny had let her be part of the experience. 'I am soooo gonna spoil that kid,' she thought to herself.

Lindsey hugged Gohan as he stared in wonder at Piccolo holding a baby.

"We need to take her to the nursery," the nurse said. "Just to give her a good check over. We'll get you all moved into a recovery room and bring her back to you then."

Piccolo reluctantly handed the baby to the nurse, who placed the newborn into a weird clear-plastic looking bin set atop a rolling wooden cart and pushed the baby from the room.

"Piccolo," Jenny breathed.

He turned and smiled at her. "You did great."

"Piccolo," she said, sounding very tired and far-away. "Take care of the baby…" Her head fell back against the pillow as her eyes rolled upwards. A machine began blaring against the wall.

"JENNY!" Piccolo shouted.

"She's coding!" a nurse cried.

"Get them out of here!" Dr. Thies barked, running to Jenny's side.

"What's happening?" Catie asked, blinking in shock.

"Cat, we gotta go," Lindsey said softly, taking Catie's hand.

"What's happening to her?" Catie demanded again, louder this time, shaking Lindsey's hand away.

"You have to leave," a nurse insisted as a crash cart was wheeled into the room.

"I'M NOT LEAVING HER!" Piccolo roared.

"Get out of here!" the doctor spat back at him.

"Come on, Piccolo," Gohan said, grabbing Piccolo's arm and pulling him towards the door.

"NO!" he shouted and shoved Gohan off.

"You're only going to be in the way! You have to let them help her!" He grabbed Piccolo under the arms, locking the much taller Namek against his chest, and turning towards the door.

"Catie, come on!" Lindsey insisted, pulling at her friend. She managed to drag Catie along with her and out into the hall.

Piccolo felt as though he was going numb inside. He allowed Gohan to march him from the room, staring over his shoulder at Jenny as he went.

* * *

Author's Note: I dedicate this chapter to my angel baby, the little one I never had the chance to meet. Today was my baby's due date (2/27/2013.) I miss you terribly, little one. And I know one day I will see you again and then I will get to hold you and be your mommy for eternity. I will visit your grave as soon as the snow clears and bring you some pretty flowers again. I'll miss you and love you forever.


	48. Everything Should Be Pink!

Piccolo broke free of Gohan's hold as they entered the hallway, the hospital door banging shut behind them. He tore away his turban and cape in anger, throwing them on the tile floor, which cracked upon impact. Lindsey flinched and leaned in to Catie, who put her arm around her shoulders.

"Piccolo," Gohan said softly.

Piccolo grabbed his head, leaning over. "I can't help her!" Frustration and anger emanated from him. He dropped his hands and paced back and forth in front of the door. It was maddening, being that close to Jenny, knowing she was in trouble, and being completely helpless to fix it. He didn't understand what was happening; he didn't know what was going wrong. He thought she'd done incredibly well throughout her labor. She hadn't accepted any type of pain killers, hadn't had any complications… He felt like his chest was going to crack open and all the fear and worry just pour out of him. He leaned against the wall and slid down it, crossing his arms over the tops of his knees, dropping his forehead to his arms.

After a moment, Gohan asked, "Do you want someone to go tell everyone else? I think they're still in the waiting room."

Piccolo nodded.

"Catie, do you want to?"

"Yeah, I'll do it," Catie said. She dropped her arm from Lindsey's shoulders and headed down the hall.

"Do you need anything?" Gohan offered.

"Water," Piccolo said quietly. He suddenly realized he hadn't had anything to eat or drink all day.

"Stay with him?" Gohan asked Lindsey softly. She nodded and he hurried along the hallway the same direction Catie had gone.

Lindsey didn't know what to say to Piccolo. There was only one other time she could remember being one-on-one with him and that was the night he'd found her drinking on the porch. He looked so sad and scared, sitting on the opposite side of the hallway, completely alone and worrying over the girl he loved so much. Lindsey understood. She was worried and scared for Jenny, too. Without a word, she crossed the hallway, slid down the wall next to Piccolo, and took his hand in hers. Piccolo gently squeezed her fingers as they both sat and stared at the door to Jenny's room, waiting.

* * *

"Catie!" Trunks cried as she rounded the corner into the waiting room.

Everyone sat up straight and stared at Catie.

"Well, is the baby here yet?" Goku asked excitedly.

Catie nodded. "Baby's here and healthy!"

A cheer went up among the crowd gathered there, some of them breathing sighs of relief.

"How's Jenny?" Leelee asked.

Catie's expression turned serious. "I… I don't know."

"What do you mean, you don't know?" Bulma screeched.

"She passed out, the alarm on the machine went off and they made us leave the room."

Bulma and Vegeta looked at each other in horror. He jumped to his feet and took his wife's hand. "Come on!" He pulled her quickly out of the room and down the hallway.

"They're not going to let you in!" Catie called after them.

"C'mere," Trunks said softly to Catie and reached for her, pulling her into his lap where she seemed to deflate. She was shaking. "It's okay," he whispered. "She's gonna be fine."

Catie nodded and rubbed at her stinging eyes. She leaned her head over on Trunks' shoulder and he hugged her close.

"So is it a boy or a girl?" Goku asked eagerly.

Catie blinked rapidly. "Oh yeah, I almost forgot! It's a girl!"

"Wow," Goku breathed. "Piccolo has a daughter! Wow…"

* * *

Vegeta and Bulma found Lindsey and Piccolo sitting in the hallway, Gohan standing near the door to Jenny's room.

"What's going on?" Vegeta demanded.

"We don't know yet," Piccolo answered.

"Darn," Vegeta growled.

"Oh Vegeta, what do we do?" Bulma asked, her voice shaking.

Vegeta shook his head slightly and didn't answer. He and Piccolo stared at each other for a moment. Now they understood, if only by a fraction, how Gohan and Goku felt all those months ago.

Piccolo broke Vegeta's gaze and looked to Gohan. "How did you do it?"

Gohan looked at Piccolo, his expression questioning.

"When she was missing and then in the hospital, how did you do it?"

Gohan gave a short, soft laugh. "I dunno. I don't think I did it very well."

Lindsey drew her knees up to her chin and sat quietly. She was more interested to hear this than she should've been. She hadn't thought much about what Gohan had done while she was recovering from her attack.

"I guess," Gohan paused to think for a moment. "I guess I just held onto the hope that she'd be okay. I don't think there's much else you can do."

"I know how hard that was on you, Gohan," Bulma said kindly.

"Yeah," Gohan nodded. "Life… hasn't been easy lately."

"I think I understand how you felt now," Piccolo said.

"It's a scary place, isn't it?" Gohan asked.

Piccolo gave a nod.

The door to Jenny's room cracked open and the nurse stuck her head out the door, "We need you guys to go to the waiting room, okay?"

"Why?" Bulma demanded. "We want to make sure she's okay!"

The nurse, who had been incredibly kind to Jenny, suddenly turned harsh. "We may need to transfer her to another wing of the hospital and we can't have bystanders cluttering up the hallway! I know you're concerned. I will update you as soon as possible. Now please leave this hall!" And with that, she snapped the door shut again.

"We better do as she says," Gohan said, extending each hand to Piccolo and Lindsey, pulling them to their feet.

They returned to the rather noisy waiting room.

Goku jumped to his feet when he saw them. "Congratulations, Piccolo!"

Piccolo managed a weak smile. "Thanks."

"They didn't let you stay with Jenny?" Goku asked.

Piccolo shook his head.

Goku frowned. "That's not fair. They should have at least let you stay in the room."

"Let's go see baby," Catie announced, getting to her feet.

"I wanna come!" Leelee cried, jumping up. She linked elbows with Sabriena and pulled her up too.

Catie grabbed Lindsey's wrist and together, the four girls headed for the nursery window.

"Squeeeee!" Sabriena squealed when they reached the window. "They're so… so… squishy looking!"

"I thought you didn't like babies?" Leelee asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't like kids," Sabriena answered. "Babies can't talk back. Plus, they're fun to dress up!"

Leelee snickered.

"Which one is ours?" Sabriena asked, clasping her hands together and leaning closer to the glass.

Catie shook her head in an amused sort of way. "The green one."

"Green?" Sabriena blinked. "Oh! There she is!"

One of the nurses laid the tiny baby near the window, wrapped in a pink blanket. Baby was sound asleep.

"What are they gonna name her?" Leelee asked.

"I dunno," Catie answered.

Lindsey was standing with her hand pressed against the glass, staring at the new tiny person before her. Of course her opinion was biased, but she couldn't help thinking that Jenny's baby was the most beautiful out of all the babies there. A silent tear slid down her cheek. "Don't let her be like me," Lindsey whispered. "Don't let her be like me."

"Lins?" Catie asked, tipping her head to the side. "What'd you say?"

"Praying," Lindsey answered softly. "I just don't want her to grow up without a mother."

"Jenny will be fine," Catie said in a determined sort of way. "I'm not worried about her."

"You're not?" Sabriena asked in surprise.

Catie shook her head. "Nope. It's Piccolo I'm concerned about."

"Piccolo?" Leelee asked. "Why are you worried about him?"

"Not only does he have to live with Jenny and he's a new dad, but now he is going to have to deal with us being there twenty-four-seven, playing dress up with the baby," she grinned.

"Oh my god, now we can go shopping for baby dresses!" Sabriena exclaimed.

Lindsey finally smiled. "EVERYTHING WILL BE PINK!"

* * *

"For the love of all that is holy in this world, would you sit down, Namek?" Vegeta growled.

Piccolo ignored him and continued to pace.

"Uh, sir?" came a soft, female voice.

Piccolo spun on the spot to see the nurse who had been with Jenny throughout her labor.

"Yes?" Piccolo asked.

"Sorry, I never did catch your name," she said.

"How is she?" Piccolo asked.

"She had a major blood clot," the nurse said. "It was preventing blood flow."

Bulma and Vegeta had gotten to their feet.

"And?" Bulma breathed, barely daring to hope that Jenny was okay.

"She's fine," the nurse said. "She's resting now."

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and Piccolo's knees actually buckled. He prevented himself from falling, but not so much that Tien didn't reach out and grab his arm to steady him.

"May I see her?" Piccolo asked.

"They're transferring her to a room and then I'll take you to her," the nurse answered kindly.

Piccolo's throat seemed to be closing off. His jaw clenched and his lips pressed hard together. His eyes burned. "Th-thank you," he managed to call to the nurse as she returned to the nurses' station. He stumbled to a chair, flopped into it, and leaned his head far back, covering his face with his hands.

* * *

The softly lit room was warm and inviting. Jenny was propped up with pillows, snuggling the soft pink bundle in her arms. Piccolo smiled and walked to her side.

"Daddy's here," Jenny crooned to the sleeping baby.

"Hmph," Piccolo smiled, "Never thought I'd hear someone refer to me that way."

Jenny leaned over and kissed Piccolo. "Did I scare ya?"

"More than you can imagine," he answered.

"Are you ready for this?" she asked.

"No," he answered, "Are you?"

"No," she laughed quietly. "Little late for having second thoughts now."

"I'm not having second thoughts," he said.

She smiled at him. "Neither am I."


	49. Baby Juju!

It was a couple days later when Jenny was finally released from the hospital and she and Piccolo were able to bring baby Paige home. Piccolo wanted to take Paige to the ranch house, but Jenny insisted on going to the warehouse since that's where the crib had been set up.

Yorgi was waiting for them when they arrived.

"Let me see this little one," Yorgi said, reaching for the baby.

Jenny smiled at him and carefully handed her over. Piccolo flinched slightly as if he wanted to snatch the baby back, but stopped himself. Yorgi smiled at the tiny baby in his arms as she blinked her big, blue eyes at him and reached up with a fat little fist to touch his face. "Zdrazveetyet," he said in a soft tone. "Dahbroh pahzhalavaht."

Piccolo looked questioningly to Jenny, who shrugged and shook her head.

The corners of Yorgi's mouth twitched. "I tell her Hello and Welcome Home."

"This isn't going to be her home for long, Yorgi," Piccolo reminded him.

Yorgi smiled again at the bundle in his arms. "We shall see."

Piccolo's chest swelled and his eyes narrowed, but Jenny placed a hand on his forearm and he held his tongue.

Baby Paige gave a squeak and began to wiggle in Yorgi's arms.

"I need to feed her," Jenny said softly and reached for the baby. Yorgi carefully handed her back and Jenny shoved the bedroom door open with her hip, shushing the baby and cooing to her.

Piccolo stood where he was, squaring his shoulders at Yorgi. Yorgi smirked and gave the Namek a sweeping look before sauntering on down the hallway. Piccolo watched him go, then followed Jenny into the bedroom.

"Is she okay?" Piccolo asked.

Jenny, who had laid Paige on the bed and was leaning over her, swept her long brown locks from her face and looked up at him. "Well of course she is. Why wouldn't she be?"

Piccolo shrugged and dropped the bags on the floor, turning away from her.

Jenny straightened up and stared at him. "You really don't like Yorgi, do you?"

"No," he answered. "I don't."

"I don't understand why," she said, scooping up the baby and sitting down on the bed. "He's been nothing but nice to you since we got here."

"He holds you over my head like he owns you," Piccolo growled. "He thinks he can control you and, in doing so, control me."

"Oh that's silly," Jenny scoffed.

"You just don't see it. He only does it when your back is turned or you're not around," he said.

"And how exactly is he holding me over your head?" she asked skeptically.

"He thinks you're staying here and not going back to Japan with me."

Jenny blinked. "He has to know that I'm not raising my baby in this house."

"Does he?" Piccolo questioned.

"I think you're reading too much into it. Yorgi's not a bad guy."

"If I didn't have so much respect for Gohan, we'd have left a long time ago," Piccolo stated. "New Year's can't get here fast enough."

* * *

Of course, Baby Paige was the center of attention and the talk of the house for the next few weeks leading up to Christmas. Before Jenny knew what hit her, she found herself drowning in a sea of pink onesies, patent-leather baby shoes, bows, ribbons, lace and Christmas dresses.

"Sabriena, you have to stop shopping for her!" Jenny finally exclaimed one afternoon as Sabriena strolled in with her arms full of shopping bags.

"I can't help it!" Sabriena protested. "She's too effing cute!" She then muttered, "Not sure how that happened, seeing as it's Piccolo's daughter."

Jenny shot her a scathing look.

"Oh come on, you know he and I don't get along," Sabriena said.

Jenny huffed.

"Anyway, look at these headbands! They're glittery!"

Lindsey wandered in, a notebook and pen in her hands, mumbling to herself.

"What's up, chica?" Jenny asked, shifting the baby to her other arm as she sat in one of the chairs near the fireplace.

"Can you believe the wedding is only three weeks away?" Lindsey gasped. "Seriously, I… I… I have so much to do and I don't know what I want and I just – can't – think – straight!"

Jenny sighed. "It's going to be fine," she said. She stood and put a hand on Lindsey's shoulder. "What's that day all about?"

Lindsey sighed too. They'd been over this a million times. "Me and Gohan," she answered in a bored voice.

"And why are you getting married?"

"Because we love each other," she said in the same slow, drawn-out tone.

"That's all that matters," Jenny smiled and sat back down, cuddling the baby.

"God, you cork out one kid and you suddenly think you're the guru of all things motherly and wise," Lindsey teased.

"Well, once you and Gohan have one, then you will be as wise as me," Jenny answered.

Lindsey's eyes went wide in terror. "Don't you put that juju on me!"

"What juju?" came Trunks' voice as he and Gohan entered, their cheeks pink from the cold air outside.

"Baby-makin' juju!" Jenny cried and wiggled her fingers at Gohan.

"HA!" he cried. "I don't think that's going to be happening anytime soon."

"Don't you want kids?" Jenny asked.

"We, uh, haven't really talked about it," Gohan said, looking to Lindsey for help.

"Aw, c'mon, Gohan," Trunks said, giving Gohan a playful nudge with his elbow. "You know you want three or four mini-you's running around. Your mom would be in heaven."

Lindsey cleared her throat loudly, "Yes, well, while you all stand around negotiating the future of my uterus, I have a wedding to plan." And she turned on her heel and left.

"Sheeee really just used the word 'uterus' in a sentence with a straight face," Sabriena said in a tone that was both shocked and impressed.

"BABY JUJU!" Jenny proclaimed, wiggling her fingers at Lindsey's retreating back.

"Stoppit," Gohan scolded in a loud whisper, swatting at Jenny's hands.

"BABYYYYYY JUJU!" she cried, pressing the palm of her hand against Gohan's forehead.

"I hate you just a little bit right now," Gohan muttered.

Jenny shrugged and turned her attention back to Paige.

Trunks leaned closer to Jenny and looked at the baby. "She's so tiny."

"You wanna hold her?"

"Uh, sure," Trunks answered nervously. He gingerly accepted the baby from Jenny, slowly standing up straight and wondering at her.

"Oh lord, Trunks, put that thing down. It's contagious!" Catie cried as she and Leelee entered.

Jenny laughed as Trunks shook his head.

"What's this I hear about you cursing people with baby-making juju?" Leelee asked Jenny.

"Well that got out fast," Jenny said, surprised.

Leelee jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Met Lindsey on the stairs. She was muttering something about taking a shower to scrub the baby juju off."

"You better keep that juju to yourself," Catie said to Jenny as she nervously eyed Trunks holding the baby. He looked far too comfortable for her liking.

"Oh, and Gohan," Leelee said, "Lindsey asked me to remind you that you and your groomsmen are supposed to go for your final fittings tomorrow for your tuxes."

"Uh, did we have a first fitting?" Gohan asked.

"Yelena guessed at your sizes," Sabriena answered. "She's usually dead accurate, too."

"Is there anything Yelena can't do?" Jenny grinned.

"Smile?" Gohan asked.

Jenny snickered. "Don't make fun of the woman planning your wedding."

"I'm not, but I don't think I've seen her smile once since I've met her."

"And you have to go directly after lunch," Leelee continued.

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"Because Geumbee's coming to do a fitting of the dress with Lindsey and our bridesmaids dresses," Leelee sighed.

"Oh I forgot about that!" Catie exclaimed. "I can't wait to see it! I got to see the sketch. Oh my god, it's soooooooo pretty!"

"Oy!" Sabriena interrupted. "Watch yourself before you get too descriptive of the dress. Gohan isn't supposed to know!"

"Oops!" Catie squeaked and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Here, your turn," Trunks said, handing Paige to Gohan.

"What? No, I don't… I can't…" but before he could get out a proper protest, Gohan found himself with the tiny baby in his own arms. A bit of panic filled his chest as he looked at the big blue eyes that stared back at him. "Hi there," he said softly to her. He'd seen Paige several times over the past few weeks, but he hadn't held her yet. Maybe he really was afraid that babies were contagious. "Look at that hair," he teased her, touching the thick, soft curls. Paige gave an enormous yawn and snuggled into Gohan's chest and promptly fell asleep.

"Uh, Jen? What do I do now?" Gohan asked.

"Oh, she likes you," Jenny grinned, standing up and stretching. "Just hold her." Jenny turned to Trunks. "Where's your dad?"

"Back at the ranch, I think," he answered.

"Let's go train," Jenny said to Catie.

"Are you up to it?" Catie asked uncertainly.

"Sure, I'm fine," Jenny answered.

"Who's gonna watch Paige?" Catie asked.

"Gohan's got her," she said.

Gohan looked panicked. "What if she wakes up?"

"I'll have Vegeta come here," Jenny said. "I'll just be outside. Just holler for me. She ought to sleep for only an hour or so. You can handle that, can't ya?"

"Sure…" Gohan answered pitifully, "I guess."

Gohan sat nervously in the chair Jenny had previously occupied as she and Catie ran out the door, dragging Leelee with them and Sabriena escaped the training session by running up stairs with her packages.

"I guess we're babysitters now, huh?" Gohan laughed nervously.

"Yeah…. You're on you own there, bud," Trunks said quickly before he ran for the door yelling, "Wait up, Catie!"

Gohan blinked at the sudden quiet. There was nothing but him, the fire, and the tiny baby snoring softly against the left side of his chest.

"Looks like it's just you and me, kid," he said, settling back into his favorite chair and sliding open the drawer of the side table. He carefully pulled out the novel he had stashed there and closed the drawer with a soft snap. "You want me to read to you? I'm just getting ready to start the last novel in this series." Paige wiggled closer to him and sighed in her sleep. Gohan smiled and began to read softly aloud, "The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane. For a second they stood quite still, wands directed at each other's chests; then, recognizing each other, they stowed their wands beneath their cloaks and began walking briskly in the same direction…"


	50. Last Night Out

"So when are we having the bridal shower?" Chichi asked one afternoon. All the ladies had gathered around the large dining table to assemble programs for the wedding.

"We're going to have it the same night as the bachelorette party," Sabriena answered.

Lindsey choked on her soda. "Bachelorette party?"

"Uh, duh," Sabriena answered, threading ribbon through the top of the program.

"What, exactly, do you have planned?" she asked.

"'Tis a surprise, love," crooned Sophie, carefully layering one page over another.

"But what about us?" Bulma protested. "We wanted to come to the shower!"

"Who said you aren't invited?" Sabriena countered.

"You're inviting us to the bachelorette party?" Chichi asked in surprise.

"Well sure," Sabriena answered.

Lindsey's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head.

"So, when is it?" Eighteen asked.

"Tonight," Sabriena stated simply.

"Were you going to tell me about this?" Lindsey shrieked.

"No," Sophie answered. "We were gonna stuff you in the trunk of a cah, drive yo happy arse to a hotel and make you party all nigh' as a surprise."

Lindsey blinked at her. "I'd like to think you're joking, but something tells me you're being serious."

"As a heart attack."

Lindsey rolled her head towards Catie. "Did you know about this?"

Catie tried to hide behind a piece of brightly lit paper.

"CATIE!"

"I was sworn to secrecy!" she squeaked.

"Just wait," Sabriena giggled. "Just wait until Gohan gets kidnapped to go on his bachelor party tonight, too."

The expression on Lindsey's face was unreadable. "Does everybody know about this?"

"Everyone but Gohan now," Jenny answered.

Lindsey covered her face with her hands and dropped her head to the table with a groan.

* * *

"Hey, you," Xander said, sticking his head in the door of Lindsey's bedroom.

Gohan looked up from the computer. "Huh?"

"Come here," Xander said. "I need you to help me with something."

"Uh, okay," Gohan said, getting to his feet and walking out into the hallway. "Where'd you go?"

"Over here!" Xander said, waving from the end of the hall.

Gohan followed Xander, who stayed a good length ahead of him, leading the way to the garage. Once he entered the darkened garage, a blindfold was wrapped over his eyes, and two sets of hands lifted him sideways, carrying him across the room.

"Hey, let go!" Gohan shouted, struggling to fight off the two extremely strong men who carried him like a piece of luggage. He felt icy cold air flow over him as the door to the garage opened, then he was lifted higher and sat in a leathery seat. The blindfold was ripped from his eyes and he blinked at the sudden light.

"Surprise!" Kolya yelled.

"What? What's going on?" Gohan stammered, looking around the interior of a stretch hummer limo.

"Is your bachelor party," Kolya grinned.

"My what?!" Gohan gasped. "I didn't want a bachelor party!"

"Yeah, well, we did," Seventeen said, sliding into the seat next to Gohan.

Trunks was on his other side. "C'mon, man, it'll be fun."

Gohan realized then who it had been that carried him out to the car. "You two."

Trunks looked sheepish at being scolded by his friend, while Seventeen lounged in the seat, swigging directly from a bottle of champagne.

"What's the matter, Gohan?" came a gruff voice and Gohan jumped when he realized Vegeta was in the car. "Scared of a little entertainment?"

"Depends on the entertainment, I guess," Gohan chuckled nervously.

"Too late to back out now," Xander smirked as the vehicle gave a lurch and rolled smoothly down the drive.

* * *

"You guys didn't have to do this," Lindsey smiled as she began to unwrap the gifts her friends had presented to her.

"Okay, now the rule is you HAVE to hold up everything that's in the gift so we can all see it!" Sabriena demanded. "No matter what."

Lindsey swallowed. "Okay." She glanced nervously at the gifts. "I think I'm gonna start with Chichi's. It should be safe." It was a small box with a pretty white ribbon tied on top. Lindsey slid the ribbon off and opened the box. "Oh my god. Chichi…"

Chichi smiled. "I wore those at my wedding. I thought you would like to have them."

Lindsey held up the beautiful pearl earrings. "Absolutely. Thank you, Chichi."

Chichi smiled and sipped her champagne flute.

"Me next! Me next!" Bulma cried, shaking another small package at Lindsey.

She opened it to reveal a beautiful, vibrant pink garter trimmed in black lace.

"It's the tossing garter," Bulma said. "For the reception, you know."

Lindsey picked up a large, but lightweight package from Yelena. "Is this one safe?"

Yelena shrugged.

Taking a deep breath, Lindsey opened the package and peeled back the tissue paper inside. "Oh god." Hooking her fingers under the straps, she lifted a frilly white, rather racy nightie from the box.

"That's more for Gohan than you," Yelena said with a slight smile.

"Oh goodness!" Chichi cried, burying her face in her hands.

"Thanks, Yelena," Lindsey said with a nervous giggle and quickly stuffed it back in the box.

"Oh, there's more," Yelena grinned, the expression making her look very out of character.

Lindsey reached for another package, addressed from Catie. "What on earth…" The box held massage oils and scented candles.

Catie smiled. "You love it and you know it."

"Thanks, Cat."

"Mine! Mine!" Sabriena cried.

"Oh lord, give me strength," Lindsey sighed, ripping open the box from Sabriena. Her eyes went wide once she got a look at the contents. "Really, Sabriena? REALLY?"

"What is it?" Bulma asked.

Lindsey began to pull items from the box. There was chocolate body frosting, edible panties, a candy bra, and….

"Buzzzzzzzzzzzz," Sabriena said.

Lindsey's face went as red as her hair, the other girls laughed, and Chichi said, "OH MY!" and polished off her glass of champagne, reaching for another one.

"You can thank me when you get back from your Honeymoon," Sabriena smiled as Lindsey quickly stashed the items back in the package. "Oh, and here," Sabriena said, digging in her purse. She tossed something to Lindsey, who caught it and went even redder. "Don't forget the batteries."

* * *

"A strip club?!" Gohan cried when the hummer crawled to a stop.

"Gentlemen's lounge," Memphis corrected him as he opened the door.

The men piled out of the car and Vegeta smiled appreciatively at the building. "It's about time we did something fun."

Yorgi clapped Vegeta on the shoulder. "Best establishment in the entire state," he said.

"You frequent this place often?" Vegeta asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"I own it," Yorgi answered. "Come, my friend." And he led the way.

"Dude, you OWN a strip club?" Seventeen asked in awe.

"I own several, among other things," Yorgi answered as Kolya grinned widely, skipping to his brother's side.

Yorgi entered the front door, greeted by the bouncers and the group was quickly ushered to VIP seats. Kolya roared with glee and pulled a pretty waitress into his lap, who smiled at him and kissed his face. She obviously knew him and began jabbering away rapidly in Russian. Viktor stopped at the bar, leaning over it and speaking to the girls working there.

"Hey boys," a petite latino girl purred, leaning over the group. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

The men ordered drinks and a dancer approached. "Lap dance, anyone?" she smiled, sweetly. She was tall and slender, with dyed blonde hair and wore a ridiculously short skirt. Yorgi opened his arms to her and she smiled (obviously seeing a big payday, dancing for the boss) and straddled his lap, shimmying her chest in his face.

"I can't do this," Gohan muttered weakly, sitting in the front row of the main stage. "My dad is here, for christ's sake!"

Goku laughed. "It's just a bit of fun, Gohan. It can't be that bad."

Goku's naivety was showing again. Loud, raunchy music queued up over the speakers as a slender, curvy woman with long, black hair gyrated on stage. She wrapped her long legs around the pole, spinning and sliding down it, coming to a stop on the floor, her legs in the splits. She rolled to her knees, tossing her hair about.

"Oh, wow," Trunks breathed.

"Nice," Yamcha grinned, sitting next to Trunks.

The woman's top came off and she tossed it into the crowd, where it landed in Krillin's lap. His face went completely red and he stammered, "I don't know about this, guys. My wife is gonna kill me!"

Yorgi stopped a waitress and whispered something to her, she nodded and made her way through the crowd, carefully balancing her tray on one hand.

When the song ended, two new dancers appeared on stage.

"We hear there's a bachelor party here tonight!" the shorter of the two blondes stated loudly.

"Oh god, no," Gohan groaned. "Please, no."

"Who's the lucky fella?" the taller one asked.

"Right here!" Kolya yelled, pointing at Gohan.

"Kolya, I'm gonna kill you!" Gohan shouted.

Kolya threw his head back and laughed.

"Well, come on, big boy," the taller girl said, reaching down for Gohan's hand.

"You want me to get on stage?" he asked in horror.

"That's right," she purred, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet.

Reluctantly, and only at the other men's prompting, Gohan shakily got on stage and sat in a chair that had been set on there. The music blared again as the girls began to dance, their scantily clad bodies on either side of Gohan, his face burning red.

"Yeah Gohan!" Seventeen shouted above the music.

'Let me die,' Gohan thought as one of the girls slid a ridiculously tall high heeled shoe between his legs, dangerously close to stepping on him, and stood on the seat of the chair. 'Let me die now.'

* * *

Lindsey could have died of embarrassment. Opened packages littered the hotel room, baring sexy bustiers, oils, lotions, handcuffs, edible frostings, slutty costumes, and a leather contraption that Lindsey was too frightened to ever even consider showing to Gohan.

"You should try that," Yelena insisted.

"What is it?" Bulma asked.

"A swing. For the bedroom," Yelena answered.

"Where do you get one of those?" Bulma asked.

"BULMA!" Chichi cried, her eyes rather unfocused.

"What? I'm just asking!"

"I always knew you were a freak," Chichi muttered, sipping her fifth flute of champagne.

"Don't be jealous," Bulma smirked. "Just because you're probably too prude to do anything but missionary."

Chichi scoffed. "You have no idea what goes on in my bedroom!"

Lindsey, Catie and Jenny were looking horrified.

"I can be quite creative in bed, thank you very much," Chichi huffed.

"Sticking a leg in the air isn't creative, you know," Bulma countered.

Lindsey was feeling light-headed. 'I don't wanna hear this. I don't wanna hear this,' she thought.

Bulma and Chichi had had their fair share of squabbles over the years, but nothing like this.

"I'll have you know, I keep my husband very satisfied!" Chichi shouted.

"How do you keep up with a man like tha'?" Sophie asked without thinking.

Everyone turned and blinked at her.

Her face suddenly burned red. "I just mean… well…"

Chichi waved a hand dismissively. "I know what you mean. It's not easy fulfilling your womanly duties to a powerful man like my Goku."

"Womanly duties?" Catie mouthed to Leelee, who collapsed in giggles on the floor.

"Now, now, girls," Chichi continued. "It's no laughing matter. I know none of you are married yet, but you'll quickly learn how important it is once you're married."

"I think Jenny already figured it out," Sabriena snickered.

"Yes, well, some of us do tend to buy the cart before the horse," Chichi said. She blinked a couple times and slicked a few loose pieces of hair out of her face. The champagne was really kicking in. "I, of course, waited until my wedding night." She sighed. "Oh how magical it was."

"Oh god," Catie muttered.

"Now, don't you be nervous, Lindsey," Chichi continued as if she hadn't heard Catie. "I know it's nerve-wracking for your first time, but it's perfectly natural."

Lindsey buried her face in her hands.

"Just remember that Gohan loves you. Just relax and you'll be fine the first time you… uh… you…"

"If you say 'make whoopie' I will backhand you," Bulma warned.

* * *

Gohan sat miserably in his seat, his face burning red, wishing for the night to end. Kolya sat next to him, a girl wearing nothing but a thong and her heels grinding in his lap.

"Give me that," Gohan snapped, grabbing Kolya's vodka and swallowing it down.

"Come on, Gohan, this is a blast," Yamcha grinned, sliding a dollar into the g-string of a girl on stage.

Seventeen threw back a shot and slammed the empty glass on the table, spilling Trunks' drink.

"Dammit, Seventeen," Trunks growled.

The dancer on stage was so focused on Yamcha that she didn't notice the liquid all over the table. She seductively stepped onto it, her eyes focused on him, and her heel slid out from under her. In the blink of an eye, she fell into Gohan's lap, flipping his chair over and landing on top of him, her bare chest covering his face.

"That's the spirit!" Kolya yelled drunkenly.

Yamcha and Trunks scrambled to their feet to pull the dancer off of Gohan as he lay there, frozen in shock and embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry!" the girl apologized.

"You okay?" Trunks asked her.

"Yeah… yeah, I think so," she answered shakily.

Gohan pushed himself to a sitting position on the floor, glowering up at Kolya, who yelled, "Now THIS is a party!"

* * *

The ladies arrived back at the warehouse at about four-thirty in the morning. Chichi drunkenly stumbled through the door, yelling, "I gotta go home. I hafta get ready for the –hic- bridal party tonight!"

"Uh, Chichi," Catie said nervously, "we are home."

"That was fast," Chichi slurred, leaning hard against Catie.

The front door opened again and the bachelor party wandered in, Kolya singing loudly in Russian with Seventeen attempting to join him, although he didn't speak a word of the language.

"You Russian very good," Kolya told Seventeen, blinking over and over.

"Uh, Chichi, are you okay?" Goku asked his wife.

"Oh, Goku!" she cried, flinging herself into his arms.

"You got my mom drunk?" Gohan exclaimed.

"She got herself drunk," Leelee stated.

"And she's a far sight more entertaining that way, too," Sabriena added.

Goku laughed. "Oh gosh, Chichi. Come on." He picked her up in his arms where she quickly fell asleep.

"Come here, woman," Vegeta said to Bulma, pulling her to him and crushing his lips to hers. She melted into his arms.

"Oh god, not my parents!" Trunks cried, turning away.

Vegeta broke away from Bulma. "How the hell do you think you got here, boy?"

Trunks turned red, grabbed Catie by the wrist, and drug her through the house towards their bedroom.

"Ha," Lindsey said sourly, crossing her arms and watching them leave. "If he thinks that's bad, he should'a heard the birds and the bees speech your mother gave us."

"She didn't," Gohan whined. "Dear god in heaven, please tell me she didn't."

"She was thoroughly drunk," Eighteen said.

"I wonder if she'll remember in the morning," Jenny said.

"If she doesn't, I'm reminding her," Bulma smirked over Vegeta's shoulder as he pressed his face into her neck. "Serves her right for –" she stopped and gasped "embarrassing you like that. Vegeta, easy!"

He snorted and continued to grab at her.

"Talk about embarrassing," Goku muttered, turning away from them.

"So where'd you all go?" Lindsey asked.

Gohan went pale. "We… uh, well… it wasn't my idea…"

"Did you take him to Club Vogue?" Lindsey demanded, rounding on Kolya.

He blinked at her. "Earth Angels was full tonight," he said as if that were the most logical explanation in the world.

Gohan's insides turned to ice. He braced himself for the tongue-lashing he was certain Lindsey was preparing to give him.

"Please tell me Alliyah gave you a lap dance," she said.

Gohan's eyes popped. "Wh-what?! NO!"

Lindsey fixed him with a bored stare.

"Stop that, you look like X."

"You went to a strip club and didn't get a lap dance?"

"Well… I..."

"Alliyah was sick," Yorgi said, striding over to them. "Gina and Georgia pulled him on stage, though."

"Shut up," Gohan hissed at Yorgi.

Yorgi smirked and walked away.

"Ah, I should'a known. They like to mess with the bachelors."

"You know them?" Gohan gaped.

"Well, yeah," she answered. "I've been there before."

"You didn't… dance there, did you?" Gohan asked, feeling as though he couldn't take any more secrets about her.

"Oh god, no!" she cried. "But, you know, they have ladies' nights. Sabriena and I have gone with the guys. Alliyah's the best dancer."

Gohan shook his head in disbelief. "You're not mad?"

"No," Lindsey laughed. "It's not a big deal."

He heaved a sigh of relief. "Thank god."

"Now you can't be mad at me for the male strippers Sophie hired," she said and sauntered from the room, trying hard not to laugh as he shouted, "Male strippers? WHAT?!"


	51. Little Dove

The days flew by so quickly that Lindsey barely even paid attention to Christmas, her every waking moment consumed with preparing for the wedding. She'd had the final fitting on her dress, the girls' bridesmaids dresses were perfect ("Oooo! Orange!" Sabriena had squealed in delight), the cake was ordered, a caterer and photographer hired, and the music prepared. The day before the wedding, a rehearsal was staged in the great room of the warehouse. Decorations were going up all around, the pastor at the front of the room, going over the ceremony with Lindsey and Gohan.

"You nervous?" Gohan asked as they finished the rehearsal.

"Maybe a little," she said.

"Me too," he admitted.

The pastor approached them once more. "It must have slipped my mind," he said apologetically, "but was your father not able to attend today? We didn't go over the part where he gives you away."

Lindsey's breath caught in her chest. She hadn't thought about it. "My dad's deceased," she answered quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the pastor said. "Is there someone who will stand in for him? An uncle, perhaps?"

Lindsey shook her head. "Can we just skip that part?"

The pastor nodded kindly. "Of course."

"Thanks," Gohan smiled.

"I will see you all tomorrow evening, then," the pastor said, shaking hands with them and leaving.

"Sorry about that, Lins," Gohan said.

She shrugged. "It's okay."

Goku and Chichi stepped closer. "Do you want Goku to give you away?" Chichi offered.

"ME?!" Goku exclaimed. "I thought I just got to watch!"

"It's okay, Chichi," Lindsey answered. "He can't really give me away and accept me into your family at the same time."

Chichi laughed, "I suppose you're right. Isn't there anyone who could do it?"

"I'm not that worried about it," Lindsey lied. The truth was, she had been feeling rather choked up about it now that it had been mentioned, but didn't want to put a damper on anyone's spirits. She really wished her dad could be there.

"Okay, I think tha's it," Sophie said, standing back and admiring her work.

"Thank you all for working so hard for us," Lindsey said.

"Ah, we love you, girl," Sophie smiled.

"Okay then," Bulma said. "It's six thirty! You men better get outta here."

"Huh?" Gohan asked.

"Don't you know it's bad luck to see the bride within twenty-four hours of the wedding?" Bulma asked. "The wedding is at seven tomorrow! You have to go to the ranch house!"

"Oh, I didn't know that," Gohan said in a sullen voice.

"Yep," Chichi said, "it's tradition. All you men are going to the ranch and the ladies are staying here."

"I guess the next time I see you, you'll be walking down that aisle," Gohan said, pulling Lindsey to him.

She took a nervous breath. "Yeah, I guess so."

They stared at each other for a moment, then wrapped themselves in each other's arms, kissing passionately.

"Hey you two!" Krillin yelled, "Save it for the honeymoon!"

Gohan broke away from Lindsey, turning violently red. "Krillin!"

"Now you boys get to bed early. No partying tonight and no drinking!" Bulma instructed them.

"Don't worry so much, Bulma," Goku grinned. "We've got it under control."

"And no getting cold feet, Gohan!" Bulma added.

"Not a chance," he answered.

* * *

"Come on, we can figure this out," Catie said, sitting on Lindsey's bed a few hours later.

"It has to be perfect and I don't know what to say!" Lindsey cried, throwing her pen and paper on the bed. She'd been trying to write her wedding vows for days.

"Nothing like waiting to the last minute," Catie grumbled.

The truth was, it wasn't her vows that were bugging her at the moment. It was the fact that there was no one to give her away. She'd thought of asking Shayne, but he'd been so distant from her for so long, it just didn't seem right. She suddenly got to her feet.

"I'm going to see Yorgi," Lindsey stated.

"Yorgi? Why?" Catie asked.

"I have to ask him something. I'll be right back."

She hurried down the darkened hall, climbing the stairs and finally coming to a stop outside Yorgi's door when she heard raised voices inside.

"She is not leaving!"

"Yorgi, I'm telling you, when she gets on that plane to leave for her honeymoon, she's not coming back! You have to get over it!" Memphis shouted.

Lindsey froze in her tracks, leaning closer to the door.

"I forbid it," Yorgi growled.

Memphis laughed. "As if you have a say in the matter."

"I mean it, Memphis," Yorgi said in a warning tone.

"I'll do as I please, Yorgi."

Lindsey tried to lean even closer but lost her footing and fell against the door. She quickly knocked to try and cover for it.

"DA?" Yorgi called.

Lindsey creaked the door open. "Am I interrupting something?"

"What do you need, Little Dove?" Yorgi asked.

A look of irritation crossed Memphis' face. "She has a goddamn name, Yorgi. It's Lindsey! Although, with the way you treat her, perhaps Little Dove is more appropriate. Keeping her caged up here all the time!"

Yorgi looked murderous.

"I can come back later," Lindsey said uncertainly.

"What do you need?" Yorgi repeated.

"I was, well, I was wondering if tomorrow, at the wedding, if you would give me away?" she asked.

Yorgi narrowed his eyes. "I am not so sure I like this term 'give away.' It sound like you leaving us."

Lindsey bit her lip and said nothing.

"So it true?" Yorgi asked. "You plan to leave and never come back."

"I never said I wouldn't come back," Lindsey answered. "But that's where Gohan's family is. It's important to him."

"And we are not important to you?"

"Of course you are, Yorgi," Lindsey answered.

"Don't lay a guilt trip on her," Memphis said.

"Well then why don't you do it?" Yorgi spat. "You seem so keen on getting her out of here."

"You're damn right I am," Memphis said. "And I'm taking Kip and Jenny, too."

Yorgi was breathing heavy through his nose, looking back and forth between Lindsey and Memphis. "What did I do to deserve such mutiny?"

"You took it too far, Yorgi," Memphis answered softly. "This was supposed to be fun. It isn't fun anymore."

"Just because you turn chickenshit and run for it…"

"Can you blame me?!" Memphis spat. "I'm looking at fifteen years if they catch me! And all because of some bullshit order I tried to pull for you! You set me up and you know it!"

Yorgi said nothing, but continued to stare at the two of them, his nose twitching and a muscle working in his jaw.

"See? You don't even deny it!" Memphis shouted. "It was supposed to be about the cars, not the money! But that's all you care about now, isn't it? They're gonna catch you one day, Yorgi. You really want these kids to go down with you?"

"I am above the law," Yorgi stated smugly. "I can buy my way in or out of anything."

Memphis snorted. "Yeah, okay. It's gonna catch up to you one day."

"Little Dove, you would not leave me again, would you? After everything I've done for you?" he walked closer and put his arm around her shoulders.

Lindsey felt like crying. "Yorgi, Gohan really wants to…"

"Gohan!" Yorgi spat. "So he is more important to you than I?"

Lindsey blinked for a moment. "Yes." She nodded emphatically, "Yes he is."

Yorgi's expression turned dark. "Fine. You want to betray me like this? I give you away. I give you away right now. Get out!" He shoved her away from him, her back slamming against Memphis. Memphis grabbed her by the shoulders to keep her from falling.

"Yorgi!" Lindsey cried. "Please! You have to understand!"

"I have to do nothing!" he shouted. "I hope you enjoy your life with Gohan, being penniless and living with his parents. Or worse, living on the street."

"I have money," Lindsey said, looking confused.

"Not anymore you don't," Yorgi threatened. "I will empty your account."

"But I earned that money working for you!" she protested.

"Exactly. I give it and I take it away," Yorgi sneered. "Hope that piece of shit half-breed Jap is worth it."

It was in that moment that Lindsey found her backbone to stand up to Yorgi. "NO ONE speaks about my husband that way. I'd rather be poor and happy with Gohan than to be rich and miserable with you."

Yorgi looked like he could explode with rage. "THAT IT! WEDDING IS OFF!"

Lindsey blinked in shock. "You wouldn't…"

"I just did."

"THAT IS ENOUGH."

Everyone jumped and turned to stare at Yelena, who had just entered the room.

"Not you too," Yorgi groaned.

"Now you listen," Yelena stated boldly, her hands on her hips. "I work hard, very hard, on this wedding. For almost a year, I work on this. You will not take that away."

"YELENA, SHE IS LEAVING US!" Yorgi protested.

"Of course she is, Yorgi," Yelena said. "She getting married. Is time for her to move on with her life."

Yorgi crossed his arms, fuming.

"This wedding will happen. Here. Tomorrow," Yelena stated.

"Not in my house," Yorgi growled.

"Yes, it will. Or I blow the whistle on you," she threatened.

Memphis actually jumped at that. Only one person had ever threatened to turn Yorgi in before, and soon after, that person went "missing." But would Yorgi do that to Yelena?

"You watch your words," Yorgi warned.

"Or what, Yorgi? You have me killed?"

"Yorgi," Memphis started, "Don't you see how ridiculous this all is? Canceling the wedding? Throwing Lindsey out? KILLING YELENA? Are you MAD?"

"Never," Yorgi breathed, "have I ever been so betrayed."

"Yorgi…" Lindsey began.

"Get out," he breathed in a low voice. "All of you. Get out of my room."

Hurt and angry, Lindsey marched out of the room, followed closely by Yelena and Memphis.

"I told you," Lindsey muttered to Memphis once they'd reached the hall.

"Ah, I ain't done with him yet," Memphis said. "He's known this was coming for awhile. Excellent timing, by the way, Yelena."

She shrugged.

"Yeah, how do you always manage to do that?" Lindsey asked.

"Yorgi thinks he know everyone so good," she snorted, "He not know half of what I know."

"So, the wedding?" Lindsey asked nervously.

"I not let him cancel it," Yelena answered. "You don't worry about that."

"Thanks, Yelena," Lindsey said.

Yelena nodded and returned to her room.

"Hey kiddo," Memphis said in a voice that sounded uncertain.

"Huh?" Lindsey asked, turning to him.

"Since, ya know, since Yorgi turned ya down, would you want me to do it? You know," he hesitated, "walk you down the aisle?"

"You'd do that for me?" she asked in awe.

"Well sure," he smiled, tucking his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "If you want me to. If not, that's cool."

"I would be honored to have you give me away, Memphis," she said.

By the time she returned to her bedroom, Catie was laying sideways on the bed, snoring softly.

"It's only nine o'clock," Lindsey sighed. She folded the blanket back to cover Catie as best as she could and picked up her paper and pen again.

"Pre-wedding jitters?" came Sophie's voice.

Lindsey turned to her and sighed. "This whole thing is going to be a train-wreck."

Sophie crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. "Why d'ya say tha' love?"

"I asked Yorgi to give me away," Lindsey said sadly. "He refused."

"Wha? Why on earth would 'e do somethin' like tha'?"

"He doesn't want to give me away. In any sense of the phrase."

"Well, I can't say I blame 'im," Sophie admitted. "I don' want to see you go either. But I always kind of knew you would."

"You did?"

"Yeah, you're too much of a free spirit. You can' be 'eld down 'ere."

Lindsey smiled at Sophie. "I'll miss you Sophie. You get people. You really see them, you know?"

Sophie smiled back. "Wha' I see is a girl struggling to write 'er vows."

Lindsey rolled her eyes. "I know. I don't know what to say."

"You want to know wha' I think?" Sophie asked.

Lindsey nodded.

"I think you've spent so much time focusing on the wedding tha' you're not concentrating on getting married."

"Huh?" Lindsey asked.

"You're getting so wrapped up in all the formalities, you're forgetting the whole purpose of the day. When it's all said and done, all that matters is you and Gohan. You need to find tha' spark. Tha' fun, butterfly feeling tha' tells you you're in love."

Lindsey tipped her head to the side, questioning.

Sophie stepped closer, grabbing Lindsey by the shoulders. "Go to 'im. Do something fun and just let go. Forget the stress and the worry. It'll all fall into place like it's supposed to."

Lindsey's eyes lit up. "Thank you, Sophie!"


	52. Revenge, Part 2

Gohan was lying awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. His stomach was twisting in knots as he thought about the upcoming day. He'd read and reread the vows he'd written until he had them memorized perfectly, yet he was still afraid he'd get tongue-tied and mess something up. And he couldn't stop picturing Lindsey in a white dress, walking towards him. The thought filled him with an excited energy.

The door to the bedroom creaked open and Goku peeked in. "You up?"

Gohan sat up in bed. "Yeah."

"I figured you wouldn't be sleeping," Goku chuckled. He stepped into the room. "Are you okay?"

Gohan smiled. "I think so. Just nervous."

"I don't blame you," Goku said. "I know I was nervous when I married your mother."

"I just don't want to be up in front of all those people," Gohan admitted. "Makes my stomach twist up."

"Just take a deep breath and calm down," Goku said. "It'll be fine. All that matters is you and her."

Gohan nodded. "Thanks, dad."

There was a soft knock on the open door and Lindsey stuck her head inside. "Is this a private party, or may I join?"

Gohan gasped. "I thought I wasn't supposed to see you until tomorrow?"

"Oh, to hell with that tradition," Lindsey said with a wave. "After all we've been through, I'm not worried about some stupid superstition."

"Atta girl," Goku grinned.

"Just don't tell Chichi," Lindsey giggled.

Goku drew an X on his chest with his finger. "Cross my heart."

"Goku, thank you for everything. I don't know where I'd be right now if it hadn't been for you," she said.

"I wasn't gonna give up on you that easy," Goku smiled.

Lindsey stepped forward and hugged him. "Thanks, dad."

Something caught in Goku's throat and he hugged her back. "You're welcome."

She turned to Gohan then. "I can't stand the stress anymore," she said. "I'm going to do the only thing I can think of to get rid of the stress."

A sudden fear pierced Gohan. "What would that be?"

"I'm going for a ride," she smiled. "Would you like to come with me?"

"A ride?" Gohan asked, getting to his feet.

"You can ride Patrick's horse. He won't mind."

Gohan smiled. "Sure."

* * *

They rode the horses out into the woods, the snow crunching beneath the heavy hooves.

"So did you get your vows written?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah," he answered. "I did a few days ago. How about you?"

She stared at her horse's mane. "Still working on it."

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just don't know what to say. I want to make sure it's perfect," she said.

"It doesn't have to be a big production," he said.

She shrugged.

"You know, just get up there and tell everyone how totally awesome I am. How you are so lucky to be with they guy who's the most handsome, sexy, smart, talented…"

She threw her head back and laughed.

Gohan cocked an eyebrow, "That funny to you?"

"It's funny cause it's true," she giggled. "You're all of that and so much more."

"Nah," Gohan shook his head. "I was joking."

"I'm not," she said.

Gohan could feel his ears burning.

"Have you checked in with Lia and Kristen about Mercutio?" Gohan asked, turning the subject away from himself.

Lindsey shook her head. "I know he's okay. They're taking good care of him for me."

"When we get a house, I'll build you a pasture and you can bring him home," Gohan said.

"Really?" she smiled.

Gohan nodded.

Lindsey pulled her tall black horse up next to the buckskin Gohan was riding. "I love you," she said, leaning over to kiss him.

She broke the kiss as a gunshot rent the night air. Her black horse jumped a bit, but Gohan's horse remained still.

"Darn it, don't go getting thrown tonight!" Gohan warned.

"Easy, boy, easy," Lindsey soothed and the stallion calmed. "Who's out hunting at this time of night? There isn't anything in season right now."

She glanced around, narrowing her eyes at the bright beam of light that shone through the trees ahead. "Poachers."

"Huh?" Gohan asked.

"They're spotlighting," she said.

"What's that?" he asked.

"They shine a bright light at deer. It makes them freeze in their tracks. Easy targets. It's illegal," she answered. She urged her horse forwards, toward the light ahead.

Gohan sighed. "The night before our wedding, and she has to rid the world of injustice again." He nudged the sides of the horse and followed her at a trot.

As they neared the place where the light was shining, Lindsey slid from the saddle, landing lightly in the snow. Gohan dropped down beside her.

A voice carried across the dark woods. "Didja git 'im?"

Fear rooted Lindsey to the spot. That voice. No. No! Not now! Not the night before her wedding. She trembled as the memories washed over her again.

"I know that voice," Gohan said quietly. "Who is it?"

"Shoot it, Jonah!" came a second voice.

Gohan's expression turned to one of pure hatred. "Is that…?"

"Cody and Jonah," Lindsey whispered.

"I think it's about time they learned their lesson," Gohan said darkly. "Follow me." He quickly slipped through the trees as silent as a shadow, Lindsey blinking in shock and following him. They stopped at the edge of a clearing, peering around a large tree trunk.

The moon shone brightly off the snow, revealing the two young men standing there, a large light in Cody's hand and a rifle in Jonah's.

"This time, they're not getting away," Gohan growled.

Lindsey grabbed the back of his coat. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "They have a gun!"

Gohan raised his eyebrow skeptically. "I'm not afraid of that." He stepped out from behind the tree. "You're trespassing," he said loudly.

Lindsey pressed her back against the tree trunk, breathing heavily. Strong and fast as Gohan was, Lindsey was certain there was no way he could dodge a bullet. And there was no way he'd talk them into putting it down, either. She pressed her hands to her mouth, stifling a sob. She wanted a wedding tomorrow, not a funeral.

The Johnson boys spun around and stared at Gohan. "What's it to you?" Jonah spat.

"You don't know who I am, do you?" Gohan smirked.

Cody peered at Gohan, then snorted. "You're that Jap kid that Blackwell was gonna marry."

Gohan's eyes narrowed at the racial slur. "That's right."

"You get on outta here before you end up hurt," Jonah warned.

"That's all you do is hurt others, isn't it? Especially those who are weaker than you," Gohan said, his eyes landing on the deer several yards away, a large red pool staining the snow around it.

"Aw man, is she still telling that lie?" Cody snorted. "Look, I'd be mad, too, if my girl were runnin' around on me. I don't blame ya. But she's the one you oughta kick in the ass, not us."

Gohan could feel his shoulders starting to shake as he fought to control himself. "She didn't lie. I know what you did. And now I'm going to make you pay for what you did to her."

Jonah chambered a round in his rifle and shouldered it. "No you ain't."

Lindsey's heart stopped as the gunshot cracked across the clearing. Time stood still, a static filling her brain. Not her Gohan. They'd managed to take everything from her now. And in that instant, as the shot echoed throughout the trees, she lost her fear of the Johnson boys. Now it was replaced by nothing but sheer anger and hatred. "GOHAAAAAN!" she screamed, running out from behind the tree.

Gohan stood perfectly still, a smile on his face. "I believe this is yours," he said, holding his hand out to reveal the bullet he'd caught.

"You… you caught it," she breathed. "How did you…?"

"Not now," he answered.

"What are you, some kind of freak?" Cody shouted.

"Well hey, honey, long time no see," Jonah grinned at Lindsey.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore," she stated boldly.

"You never was," Jonah replied. "You loved every minute of it. What? You come out here to git some more?" He grabbed himself vulgarly.

Gohan's stomach rolled. He felt like he could vomit, just standing this close to them.

Lindsey's eyes burned a fiery orange as she looked at the two men who had tortured her so. With a scream of rage, her hair stood on end, turning into a blaze that melted the snow around her feet. She ripped her coat away and threw it in the snow. Her shoulders squared as she powered up, fine lines defined the long, lean muscles in her arms. The power emanating from her seemed to fill the clearing with a raw, crackling energy.

Gohan cast a glance at her in awe, goosebumps erupting along his arms and the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. "Wow," he breathed. She looked beautiful and terrifying as she faced the young men who had tried to destroy her.

* * *

Goku froze in the kitchen, a spoon in his mouth as he felt someone's energy skyrocket. The power was enormous. He smiled to himself as he recognized it.

There was a thundering on the stairs as the other Z Fighters tromped down them. The sudden power up had woken them.

"Kakarot, what is that?" Vegeta demanded.

Goku swallowed the large scoop of ice cream he had in his mouth, then stopped to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Brain freeze," he groaned.

"Goku, who is that?" Trunks asked in a softer tone than his father had used. "Do we need to be worried?"

"No need to worry, Trunks," Goku assured him. "That's Lindsey."

"No way," Tien breathed. "That's incredible."

Vegeta crossed his arms, concentrating. "Hmph. It is her."

"But why is she here?" Trunks asked. "And why is she powering up? Does she need our help?"

"Gohan's with her," Goku said.

"Well, come on!" Trunks cried, heading for the door. "They may need our help!"

"They don't need any help," Piccolo said.

"They don't?" Krillin asked.

"Be quiet for a minute and think. Do you sense anything strong enough to do any damage to them?" Piccolo asked.

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

"There's four energies there," Yamcha said quietly after a moment. "Lindsey and Gohan… but the other two… I don't understand it."

"Understand what, you baka?" Vegeta growled.

"The other two energies. They aren't powerful at all. But yet… they give me the chills. Like they're just pure evil, ya know?"

Goku gave a nod.

"She's still not as strong as Catie," Vegeta sneered.

Goku ignored Vegeta. He knew very well what was happening. "Let her do it, Gohan," he said softly, staring out the glass doors towards the far-away line of trees. "She needs to do it. Let her do it."

"Do what, Goku?" Krillin asked softly.

"Take her revenge."

* * *

"The hell?" Jonah gasped.

"Now it's your turn to be the bitch," Lindsey hissed as the two whips of flame appeared in her hands.

Jonah and Cody took nervous steps backwards and even Gohan shied slightly at the sight of them as she curled her wrists, the whips dancing lazily through the night air, leaving trails like sparklers. They sizzled and cracked in the frigid air.

"We… we didn't mean it," Cody squeaked.

Jonah quickly chambered another round, but before he could squeeze the trigger, Lindsey lashed out with a whip, wrapping it around the stock of the rifle and flinging it into the air. It landed several yards away, the metal barrel melted and twisted beyond all use.

"Fucking freak!" Jonah spat at her. "You filthy whore! You deserved everything you got and then some! You'll never be anything but a dirty little slut!"

"NO ONE TALKS TO HER LIKE THAT!" Gohan shouted and flew at Jonah, landing a hard punch to his stomach, doubling him over.

Cody turned to run, but his cowboy boots slipped in the snow and he fell face-first to the ground.

"You're mine," Lindsey snipped, flinging the whip again and catching Cody around the ankle. It burned quickly through the leather of his boot and into his skin. He screamed in agony.

"Stop! Stop!" he cried.

"You didn't stop when I was begging for my life," she sneered, pulling on the whip, tightening it. The rancid smell of burning flesh filled the clearing.

"I'm sorry!" Cody yelled, tears flowing from his eyes.

The look on Lindsey's face was incomprehensible. Her nose was wrinkled in a sneer, almost as if she wanted to bare her teeth like an angry wolf. Her eyes were narrowed as she took a step closer. "You weren't sorry when you broke my arm." She threw the second whip at him, wrapping it around his neck where it sizzled loudly. "You weren't sorry when you were fucking me!"

Gohan was pounding his fist into Jonah's face. Jonah held his hands up, trying to shield himself.

"Stop, man, stop!" he pleaded. "I'll never do it again!"

"Damn right, you won't," Gohan answered, kicking Jonah in the ribs so hard it threw him across the clearing. He flew at Jonah again before he had time to get to his feet. Gohan grabbed him by his shirt and slammed his back against a tree. "You made a big mistake, hurting my fiancée like that," he said in a low voice. "And now you have to pay."

"Please don't hurt me," Jonah begged.

"Hurt you?" Gohan snorted. "No. I'm going to kill you."

Fear shone on Jonah's face as a small blue orb of energy filled Gohan's free hand. He lifted it to Jonah's face and yelled "HAAAAA!" When the bright flash of light disappeared, there was nothing left of Jonah Johnson.

Cody was screaming in pure agony, writhing on the ground like a slug who'd wandered into a pile of salt.

"End it, Lindsey," Gohan commanded.

"No," she said, angry tears burning her eyes. "He has to suffer for what he did."

"End it now," Gohan said. "We're not like them. End it quick and be done with it."

She stared at Gohan, her teeth clenched together, every muscle in her body contracted as she pulled the whips tighter around Cody's ankle and throat. "He has to pay," she said in a painfully strained voice, her teeth still clenched.

"Finish him off!" Gohan shouted. "This is it! This is the moment where you can finally let go of all of this and put it behind you. Jonah's dead! He's gone from this world and can never harm anyone again!"

"Please…" Cody gasped. "Have mercy."

"You deserve none," Gohan spat nastily.

"I know," Cody croaked. "I'm… sorry…"

Lindsey stared at him as he gasped for air, his face burning and blistering from the heat of her whip around his neck. She almost felt… sorry? She slackened her grip for a split second.

"Lindsey, NO!" Gohan screamed.

Cody threw the whips off and sucked in a lungful of air. He shakily got to his feet. "Thank you…" he gasped.

"No," she said, her voice flat. "Thank you. I want to look you in the eye properly when you die." Before Cody could react, she lashed out with both whips, wrapping their ends around his throat once more and gave a mighty yank, using all the strength she could muster. As if in slow motion, Cody's body sank to the ground as his head rolled several feet away.

"Oh, you're cruel," Gohan smirked.

"That's not half of what he deserved," Lindsey sneered as she looked down her nose at the corpse.

Gohan walked to her side. "Should'a stuck one of those whips up his-"

"Gohan!" she snapped.

"Well, it would'a been a better revenge," he said. He looked down at the body. "Why is there no blood?"

She gave one of the whips a little snap. "Cauterized it at the same time."

"Well aren't you efficient?" he chuckled.

"It's over," she breathed, dropping the hard-ass attitude. The whips faded from her hands. "It's finally over!"

Gohan nodded and smiled proudly at her. "Come here," he said, throwing his arms wide. She threw herself against his chest, smothering his mouth with hers. Gohan jumped as the flames from her hair brushed him, but he quickly realized that they didn't burn him. In fact, it felt rather comforting against the frosty December air.

When they finally broke apart, he said, "We should do something about that." He nodded to Cody's body.

"A little kamehameha might do the trick," she suggested.

"Allow me," Gohan said. There was a flash of blue light and, same as his brother, Cody Johnson vanished forever.

Lindsey's hair fell back to soft red curls, her eyes green once again. She picked up her coat and brushed the snow from it.

"How do you feel?" Gohan said, turning to look at her.

She stood for a moment with her back to him, holding the coat in her hands, considering. "Free," she answered.

Gohan smiled and walked to her, putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'm proud of you."

She spun around, looking up at him. "Are you really?"

Gohan nodded.

Lindsey's knees shook and he grabbed her by the shoulders. "Whoa! You okay?" Her legs gave out completely and he sunk to the cold ground with her. "Baby, what's wrong?!"

A beautiful relief was washing over her, overwhelming her emotions. She heaved a sob and leaned into Gohan, who held her close. She'd done it. Her tormentors were gone for good and it had been at her hand. The nightmares would finally end. The cold walls she'd built were crumbling and she felt that she would finally, truly be herself once more. It was like finding a loved one safe and sound that you thought you'd lost.

Gohan was starting to panic. He didn't understand why she was shaking and crying, unable to speak her thoughts to him. He gripped her tightly, trying to calm her. "Lindsey, talk to me," he begged. "Please, tell me what's wrong!"

She gasped for air. "It's over. It's finally over!" she said again, this time the words actually sinking in.

He understood then. And he knew in that moment that she was his Lindsey once more. The fun, smart, sassy girl he'd fell in love with was finally back. Air rushed from his lungs as he hugged her still more tightly, tears of his own relief falling. The longer they clung to each other, the harder they cried, such joy and relief they had never known. They were sniffling and choking for air as they fell sideways into the snow, starting into each other's watery eyes.

"C-can we b-be us ag-again?" Gohan managed.

She gave a watery laugh and nodded.

Gohan sighed and closed his eyes against the fresh wave of tears, pressing his lips hard to her forehead and holding them there to stop himself from crying out. Several long moments later, they both drew deep, frosty breaths, trying to calm themselves. He brushed a cold, damp piece of hair from her face. "Come on," he said softly, getting to his feet and reaching down to help her up. She sniffed and wiped her nose on her shoulder.

He rubbed at his eyes and coughed, still recovering from his emotions. "Let's get back to the house. We both need some sleep. Big day tomorrow, ya know."

She nodded and picked up her coat, slinging her arms into it and zipping it up to her chin. They crunched through the snow back to where the horses were waiting. Gohan lifted her easily into the saddle, then threw himself onto his own horse. Without a word, they pulled the reins, reeling the horses around, and headed back the way they'd come, never once glancing back at the clearing.


	53. The Blackwell Sisters

"OH MY GOD! LINDSEY! WAKE UP, WE OVERSLEPT!"

Lindsey bolted upright, throwing the covers away and looking around wildly. "What?! What time is it?!"

Catie giggled. "Just kidding."

Lindsey clutched at her heart. "I hatechu right now."

"I had to make sure you were awake," Catie grinned. "Now get up. We gotta go eat breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," Lindsey answered, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh no you don't," Catie said, tugging Lindsey's arm. "You're not going the whole day without eating. Now get up!"

Grumbling the whole way down to the dining room, Lindsey tromped along behind Catie, wishing she could come up with a way to get revenge for the rude wake up. Her mind was far too foggy yet to create anything better than plopping a bowl of cereal on Catie's head.

"There she is!" Memphis grinned as Catie and Lindsey entered the dining room.

"Mornin'," Lindsey yawned, plunking herself into a chair next to Eighteen.

"Oh my goodness, I hope everything goes okay today," Chichi fussed, scanning over her list. "We didn't forget anything, did we?"

"Chichi, would you quit worrying?" Bulma scolded. "Everything will be fine."

Chichi ignored her and scanned the list again.

"I am heeere!" came a tiny voice as the dining room door opened.

"Geumbee!" Catie cried. "YAY!"

The tiny Korean girl grinned and scurried forward to hug Catie. She then hurried around the other side of the table and wrapped her arms around Lindsey. "There's the bride!"

"Hey chickie," Lindsey smiled.

"I have all your dresses," Geumbee announced to the table.

"OH NO!" Chichi shrieked, making everyone jump.

"What?" Bulma asked, sounding irritated.

"I forgot to get a dress!" Chichi wailed. "In all the excitement, I forgot my own dress! What am I going to do? I can't get a dress on this short of notice!"

Yelena rolled her eyes. "I have you dress."

Chichi blinked. "You… you do?"

Yelena nodded, taking a dainty bite of her bagel.

Chichi heaved a great sigh and sank back into her chair. "Yelena, I don't know what we would've done without you." She tossed the list on the table. "I'm done with this thing."

Yelena pulled her smartphone from her pocket and slid her fingers across it. "Is eight-thirty now. We have appointment at Salon at ten. Back here for getting dressed by four. Pictures at five…"

Lindsey dropped her fork and laid her forehead on the table.

"Something wrong?" Eighteen asked.

"Just a little nervous," Lindsey muttered. "I'll be fine."

"Well quit it," Eighteen scolded, pulling Lindsey back up and rubbing her forehead. "You're going to leave a mark."

Lindsey sighed, digging into her biscuits and gravy.

"Guests arriving at five-thirty, except for family, they arrive sooner for pictures…" Yelena continued, ignoring everyone.

"Are you packed yet?" Memphis asked.

"Packed?" Lindsey choked on her breakfast as Yorgi's expression turned dark.

"You're leaving for your honeymoon first thing in the morning, right?" Memphis asked. "After your stay at the hotel tonight?"

"Oh my gosh! I forgot to pack!" Lindsey cried (sounding very much like Chichi) and jumped to her feet.

"I'll help you," Leelee offered, her mouth full of toast. She stood and brushed the crumbs from her fingers, then headed out of the dining room with Lindsey.

"What do I take?" Lindsey asked, standing in her room, looking around helplessly.

"Everything you can carry, I imagine," Leelee answered. "You're not coming back, are you?"

Lindsey took a deep breath, looked at Leelee, and shook her head.

"I didn't think so," Leelee said, going to the closet and retrieving a large suitcase. "But you shouldn't have to pack all of this on your honeymoon, either." She considered the suitcase for a minute, then said "Well, that settles it. I'll get all your stuff packed up and shipped to Chichi's house."

"We don't have time to do that today!" Lindsey cried.

"I know," Leelee laughed. "I'll just postpone my trip with Seventeen for a few days. He won't mind."

"Your trip?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah, we thought we'd go traveling for awhile," Leelee said, beginning to rummage through the open packages from the bridal shower. "We've always been in a group setting. We thought it would be nice to spend some time just the two of us."

"You're not going back to Japan?" Lindsey asked sadly.

"Oh we will," Leelee answered. "I just don't know when."

"So where are you going?"

Leelee shrugged, folding the lacy lingerie pieces and placing them neatly in the suitcase. "Wherever we want, I suppose. We talked about doing a road trip cross country, maybe backpacking across Europe…"

"That could take months! Maybe even a year or more!"

Leelee nodded. "I know."

"But we won't see each other," Lindsey said, a panic rising in her chest.

Leelee turned to her. "I'll write you," she promised. "And I have a phone. Besides, you'll be setting up house and you need alone time with Gohan."

Lindsey frowned.

"Oh, don't look at me like that," Leelee said.

"I'll miss you," Lindsey said.

Leelee smiled. "I'll miss you too."

Lindsey grabbed Leelee in a tight hug. "Thanks for being my friend, Leelee."

The two girls worked quickly, packing as much as Lindsey's suitcase could hold. Leelee was sitting on the suitcase as Lindsey struggled to zip it when Jenny stuck her head in the door.

"Come on! We have a full day at the salon ahead of us!" she said.

* * *

Gohan slept late that morning, finally waking just before noon. He lay in bed for a moment, trying to figure out where he was and what was so special about today. His eyes snapped wide open as it hit him. He jumped out of bed, looking frantically at the alarm clock, and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw what time it was. He had more than enough time to get prepared. In fact, he was half-tempted to go back to sleep, just to make the hours pass by more quickly. Seven hours seemed like an eternity.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," Trunks teased, opening the bedroom door. "I was just coming to wake you up."

"I'm up," Gohan answered.

"You ready?" Trunks asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Gohan smiled.

"Good. Get a shower and get downstairs," Trunks instructed. "Seriously. Get a shower. You smell funny."

Gohan chuckled as he realized he hadn't showered before bed last night. He'd been sweaty from the fight when he laid down and still had the scent of saddle leather and horses clinging to him. He took his time in the shower, running his wedding vows through his head again. Try as he might, he couldn't wrap his head around the idea that at this exact time tomorrow, he would be married. He finally turned the shower off once the water started to run cold, dried and dressed in a T-shirt and sweatpants and trotted downstairs.

"There you are!" Goku grinned. "We thought maybe you got cold feet and snuck out the window."

Gohan laughed and shook his head.

"Alright, one last time before you're an old married person," Seventeen grinned, jumping and wrapping his arm around Gohan's neck. "You and me. Mortal Kombat. Now." And he proceeded into the living room, dragging Gohan with him.

"You're going down this time," Gohan warned.

"We'll see about that."

"There is no – OUCH – way that Gohan is – OUCH – going through as much trouble as I am," Lindsey whined. She looked at herself in the mirror and at the angry red spots above her eyes.

"Dude!" Sabriena said, "When was the last time you did your eyebrows? Seriously, they were like two big caterpillars on your forehead." She leaned back in the chair she occupied, letting the stylist at the salon smear green facial clay across her cheeks.

Lindsey did the same, the cold clay relaxing her as she closed her eyes. "This part isn't so bad."

"Ahh," Jenny sighed, sinking her feet in the warm water and leaning deeply into the cushioned leather chair. She clicked on the electronic massager and closed her eyes. "I need this."

"Yeah, you enjoy it," Bulma said, cuddling baby Paige. "I'm next."

"Oh it tickles!" Leelee half-laughed, half-cried. She was sitting next to Jenny, a lady scrubbing away at her feet. One foot was firmly in place, but the rest of her body twisted and writhed in the seat.

"Leelee, I'm pretty sure if you kick her in the face, you may lose a toe," Jenny warned without opening her eyes.

Catie was staring at herself in the mirror, a stylist considering her hair.

"Maybe I shouldn't have shaved half my head before the wedding," Catie said.

"Ya think?" Lindsey shouted from the other side of the salon.

"Nnnnn!" Catie stuck her tongue out at Lindsey. "Jeez, you'd think it was her special day or something."

"It's okay," the stylist said, twisting some of Catie's hair up. "I can work with this."

"Oh, I don't like it. I don't like it at all," Chichi said fretfully, flicking her new acrylic nails against the palms of her hands. "It feels weird."

"You'll get used to it," Eighteen said, admiring her own nails.

"Mommy! Mommy! Lookie! Do I look pretty?" Marron asked, tugging at Eighteen's shirt. Her blonde hair had been pulled up into two little pigtail-buns, tiny white flowers entwined in the curls.

Eighteen leaned over and took her daughter's face in her hands. "You look as pretty as the sunrise," Eighteen smiled.

Marron beamed.

"You're gonna be the best little flower girl ever," Bulma added.

* * *

"DAAAAAAD!" Gohan yelled as he pulled on his tuxedo jacket. "Have you seen my tie?"

"I've got it, Gohan!" Trunks answered, running into the bedroom. "Here. It got put with my tux somehow." Trunks was already dressed in his black tuxedo, his long lavender hair tied back at the base of his skull.

"Did ya find it?" Goku asked, strolling casually into the room, still in his usual orange Gi. "Wow! Look at the two of you!"

"Dad! Why aren't you dressed yet?" Gohan asked.

Goku scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously. "Do I have to wear it?"

"Yes, dad, you do," Gohan answered, turning back to the mirror and pulling the tie around his neck.

Goku sighed. "Oh, okay."

Trunks snickered. "I don't think my dad likes it any better than yours does."

* * *

Yelena's room was full to bursting as the ladies gathered there to dress.

"This is for you," Yelena said, handing a garment bag to Chichi.

Chichi unzipped it and gasped. The bag held a beautiful black kimono that was embroidered with brightly colored flowers; it was the traditional Japanese dress for the mother of the groom. "Oh thank you! How did you know?"

Yelena shook a cigarette from a pack and lit it. "I good at research."

"Geumbee," Lindsey said uncertainly, "what in the world is that?"

"It goes under your dress," Geumbee answered.

"Oooo!" Leelee squealed. "Is that a real corset?"

Geumbee nodded, holding it out for Lindsey to put on. Lindsey wrapped the corset around her and Geumbee hooked the busk; Lindsey slipped her bra from under it and tossed it aside. "Turn around," Geumbee said and began to tighten up the laces. The corset was silvery white with a lace overlay.

"It's beautiful, Geumbee," Yelena said. "You make this?"

Geumbee nodded again. "Yes."

Yelena considered the corset thoughtfully, dragging on her cigarette. "I will have you make me one."

Geumbee smiled and pulled the laces a little tighter. Lindsey kept stumbling back every time Geumbee pulled.

After watching them for several minutes, Yelena sighed and crushed out her cigarette. "Come here." Lindsey walked to her nervously. "Grab that doorknob," Yelena instructed, gesturing to the open closet door.

"Okay, but I don't see how this is going to helpppppp!" Lindsey's last word came out strained as Yelena put her knee in Lindsey's back and gave the laces a huge pull.

"I… can't… breathe…" Lindsey said a few moments later after Yelena had pulled the corset as tight as it could possibly go.

"Yes you can," Yelena said. "Now, go put these on." She handed Lindsey a wad of lacy white fabric.

Lindsey sighed and slipped into the bathroom. She pulled off her stretchy pants and looked over the bundle Yelena had handed her – a white garter belt, white fishnet thigh-high stockings and lacy white underwear. "Oh dear god," Lindsey muttered, but pulled them on, struggling to snap the garter straps. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and couldn't help but smile. The corset gave her body an overly exaggerated hour glass shape. Her hair had been pulled up in loose, romantic curls and her makeup was perfectly done with a light smoky eye and bright red lip. She returned to Yelena's room.

"Meeeeow!" Catie called, zipping up her deep orange dress.

"Hush," Lindsey blushed. "Just get me in my dress."

It was the one garment that Geumbee hadn't pulled out yet. She quickly unzipped the garment bag and withdrew the most stunning dress Lindsey had ever seen. It was even more beautiful than the sketches Geumbee had created. "Come on," Geumbee encouraged.

Lindsey swallowed hard and stepped into the dress, pulling it up over her chest as Geumbee zipped the back. The strapless top hugged her curves perfectly, the skirt flowing outwards from her hips, a long train trailing behind. Geumbee knelt in front of Lindsey, lifting up the skirt and helping her step into the white high heels.

"Don't forget the garters!" Jenny said, handing two long, slender boxes to Geumbee, who accepted them and helped Lindsey pull those on as well.

Lindsey poked the earring from Chichi through her ears and snapped the backs on them.

"One more piece," Catie smiled, stepping behind Lindsey and draping an ornate pearl choker around her throat. "It's a wedding gift from me and Trunks."

"It's gorgeous, Cat," Lindsey breathed. "Thank you."

Catie smiled again. She reached for the veil that Geumbee was holding and tucked it into Lindsey's hair.

Sabriena suddenly burst into the room, clutching her chest and trying to catch her breath.

"What is it?" Chichi asked in alarm.

"Don't… panic," Sabriena gasped.

"Sabriena," Lindsey said slowly in a forced calm voice. "What's wrong?"

"Someone's here… to see you…"

Before Lindsey could ask who, there was a shrill squeal from the doorway. "Oh, look Kenna! Doesn't she look amazing?"

Lindsey's heart sank as she recognized the two women standing in the door.

"Cleans up better than I ever would have expected," Kenna replied, dragging on a cigarette.

"Hi," Lindsey said lamely.

"Who are they?" Catie whispered to Jenny. Jenny shrugged and shook her head.

"Ooo, pretty bridesmaids dresses, Lins," the blonde said rapidly. "I want to be a bridesmaid. How come we weren't asked to be bridesmaids?"

"Good question, McKenzie," Kenna drawled, crossing her arms.

Lindsey narrowed her eyes. "Maybe because I haven't seen either of you since dad's funeral."

McKenzie looked guilty, but Kenna squared her shoulders. "You could come see us just as easily as we could come to see you."

"Hmm," Lindsey said thoughtfully. "I must have misplaced my invitation to New York."

"We would have invited you, but we didn't really think you'd fit in," Kenna said in a sickly sweet tone. "Didn't want you to feel out of place or anything, dear sister."

Lindsey huffed as she looked at her older sisters. Kenna and McKenzie were ten years older than she was, the first set of twins born in the family. When she was young, Lindsey had idolized her sisters. She loved watching them put on their makeup, tried to mimic the way they fixed their hair, even played dress-up in their heels when they weren't looking. She was heartbroken at age eight when they turned eighteen and moved to New York to work as models. They were far too beautiful to ever stay in small-town USA and had caught a greyhound bus out of state the day after their high school graduation. Both girls landed modeling jobs almost immediately, working for big name companies such as Calvin Kline and Abercrombie and walking the runway at New York Fashion Week. They certainly weren't celebrities by any means, but they had definitely made names for themselves in the modeling world. It always gave Lindsey a jolt when she saw either of their faces in a magazine.

The lightning-bolt feeling was no different today, looking at them in person. In fact, unlike most models, her sisters were even prettier in person. They were both tall and willowy with the same brilliant green eyes as Lindsey. McKenzie wore a shocking pink cocktail dress with matching heels, her long blonde hair swept up in elegant curls. Kenna had chopped her fiery red hair into a super-short boy cut that made her facial features stand out even more and gave her an edgy look. Like McKenzie, she wore a cocktail dress and matching shoes, but hers were a deep, velvety blue.

"I don't know, though, Kenna," McKenzie grinned. "Look at her! She looks like a real lady!"

"It's about time," Kenna said with a slight laugh. "Who knew she could look so nice?"

Shorter and curvier than her sisters, Lindsey had always felt out of place when she compared herself to them now. But she looked amazing in that moment and she knew it. Her sisters may have been beautiful, but it didn't much make up for their snarky personalities.

"Who knew you could sound so nice when tossing around insults?" Lindsey countered, feeling braver towards her sisters than she ever had before.

"Insults?" McKenzie gasped.

"We'd never dream of such a thing," Kenna breathed.

"We just wanted –"

"To tell you congratulations-"

"On finding someone to marry-"

"Never thought we'd see the day-"

"Well, not this soon –"

"But here you are!" Kenna smiled.

It had always annoyed Lindsey the way they spoke, as if they shared the same mind, not simply finishing each other's sentences, but whole conversations spoken in fragments.

"Yes, here I am," Lindsey said. "And I'm happy."

"Well then that's all that matters!" McKenzie grinned in a patronizing way.

The other girls in the room were watching the sisters' exchange with a growing dislike of the two elder Blackwell girls. Catie actually cracked her knuckles.

"Where are your husbands?" Yelena suddenly asked in her pretty accent.

Kenna and McKenzie turned and blinked at her. "We're not married," they answered together.

"Oh," Yelena answered in a tone that put McKenzie to shame. "Well perhaps one day it will happen for you."

McKenzie gaped at her and Kenna tilted her chin up to look down her nose, taking another drag on her cigarette. "As if I'd ever tie myself down to one man."

"Yes, well, that would certainly hurt your career. Husbands can get in the way of sleeping your way to the top."

"Now you listen here-" Kenna began, but at that moment, Patrick burst into the room.

"Well I be go to hell!" Patrick hollered. "If it ain't my long lost sisters back from that thar fancy city of New York!"

Kenna wrinkled her nose. "You're going to the wedding in that?"

Patrick looked down at his black button up shirt, dark jeans, and black boots. "It was this or my birthday suit."

Kenna snorted and McKenzie said, "Ugh!"

"Come on, McKenzie," Kenna said. "Let's make sure we get seats in the back so we can make our get away quickly."

Without another word, both girls turned and swished from the room.

"Who the hell invited them?" Sabriena screeched as soon as the door closed.

"Shayne," Patrick muttered.

"Traitor," Sabriena hissed.

"He didn't think they'd actually come," Patrick admitted. "They didn't show when I married Sarah."

"Yelena, you're my hero," Lindsey sighed.

"The sooner you get out of this country, the better," Yelena answered.

"Welp, I'd better get a seat near my sisters, just so I can be sure to embarrass the hell outta 'em," Patrick grinned. He tipped his black cowboy hat. "Ladies."


	54. I Do

At five 'til seven, Gohan made his way to the front of the great room to stand near the pastor. Trunks, Piccolo, and Seventeen followed him and stood in a line to Gohan's side. He looked out over the ridiculously large crowd that was seated in the many chairs facing him. He swallowed nervously. He hadn't expected this many people to attend. Much of the chairs were filled with Lindsey's extended family. But there were plenty of people there he knew, too, besides the Z Fighters and Anarchy 99. Bulma's parents, Master Roshi and Oolong, his grandpa the Ox King, even Videl and Erasa had shown up.

Soft violin music was playing. It had all led up to this. This day, this moment. It was as if a video screen were playing before him, for his eyes only. He remembered the very first moment he'd set eyes on her in class. How she had drug him to that club for the very first time. The first time they'd danced, the first time they'd kissed. How she'd talked him into going riding with her. The passion and fire she had for protecting creatures that didn't have a voice of their own. Of the fights they'd been in, the enemies they'd conquered. So much had happened in just a little over a year. They'd been through so many obstacles, yet they'd overcome each and every one of them simply by being together and relying on their love to pull them through. He was now certain there was nothing they couldn't accomplish, nothing they couldn't overcome.

* * *

Lindsey was standing outside the great room with her bridesmaids, gripping her bouquet tightly. Her stomach was in knots.

Catie turned and smiled at her. "You're going to be fine," she said softly. She tucked a curl of blue hair behind the bright orange tiger lily that had been entwined in her hair.

"Where's Memphis?" Lindsey said, her voice cracking with nervousness.

"Right here," came a smooth voice.

Lindsey spun on the spot. "Memphis!"

He grinned widely. "Wow. You are stunning."

She blushed. "Thanks."

"You thought I forgot you, didn't ya?"

"Maybe," she answered softly.

"Well, I'm here," he said and offered her his arm.

She slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as the violin music started up louder than it had before.

"You ready?" Memphis asked.

Taking a deep breath, Lindsey nodded as Jenny pushed the door to the great room open.

* * *

Gohan gave a slight jump as the piano and violin rendition of "A Thousand Years" started to play and the door at the back of the room opened. His breath caught in his throat as his eyes scanned the room and landed on his parents sitting in the front row. Chichi was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue and Goku smiled widely and flashed Gohan a thumbs up. Gohan smiled back.

Jenny was the first, her long brown hair pulled back in a high bun with the tiger lily to one side, her dark orange dress flowing in the low light of the room. She walked slowly up the aisle, both hands holding the small bouquet of tiger lilies and white roses. She smiled at Gohan as she neared the podium and moved to stand to one side.

Sabriena followed, wearing a dress of the same color, but hers was cut lower in the back than Jenny's and had a tighter-fitting long skirt on it. Leelee was next, her A-line skirt rustling along as she walked up the aisle a little quicker than she should have out of pure nerves. Catie brought up the rear in a halter-topped dress that flared out and was cut just above her knees. She was positively beaming, so proud to be the maid of honor and honored to be part of her best friend's wedding. She smiled at Trunks as she reached the front of the room.

Little Marron followed Catie down the aisle, gaily tossing rose petals into the air. She reached the end of the aisle and then scurried over to Eighteen and Krillin, who scooped his daughter into his arms.

Gohan's heart was pounding in his chest. This was it. And then, there she was. Gohan felt his knees going weak. Lindsey caught his eye and held it as she walked side-by-side with Memphis towards the podium. She seemed to emit a soft light all her own as she walked slowly towards him. Never had she ever looked as beautiful as she did in that moment.

They reached the end of the aisle and the pastor, despite the fact that they had planned to omit this part, asked, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Memphis smiled at Lindsey for a fraction of a second before answering, "Her family and I do."

Gohan reached a hand out and Lindsey accepted it as Memphis took a seat. Both of them stood and stared at each other for a moment, holding hands, feeling the other trembling slightly, both feeling a bit out of breath at the thought of them finally being here. Lindsey handed her bouquet to Catie and took both of Gohan's hands as they faced each other fully.

The preacher began, "Lindsey Blackwell and Son Gohan, today you are surrounded by your friends and family, all of whom have gathered here to witness your marriage and to share in the joy of this special occasion. Today, as you join yourselves in marriage, there is a vast and unknown future stretching out before you. The possibilities and potentials of your married life are great; and now it falls upon you to make your dreams a reality. Through your commitment to each other, may you grow and nurture a love that makes both of you better people, a love that continues to give you great joy and a passion for living that provides you with energy as you embark upon the grandest adventure of human interaction. The story of your life together is still yours to write. All those present have come to witness and celebrate your love and commitment this day – each eager to a part of the story not yet told."

Tears were freely falling from Chichi's eyes as she watched her first son standing there, joining his life with the young woman he loved so much. It made her think of her marriage to Goku and, as if reading her mind, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. Bulma sat next to Chichi, cuddling baby Paige as Vegeta sat on the other side of her with his arms crossed. In spite of himself, a small smile pulled at his lips.

"True marriage is more than joining the bonds of marriage of two persons," the pastor continued, "It is the union of two hearts. It lives on the love you give each other and never grows old, but thrives on the joy of each new day. Marriage is love. May you always be able to confide in each other, to laugh with each other, to enjoy life together, and to share quiet moments of peace when the day is done. Gohan and Lindsey, remember to treat yourselves and each other with respect, and remind yourselves often of what brought you together. Take responsibility for making the other feel safe, and give the highest priority to the tenderness, gentleness and kindness that your connection deserves. Love should have no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if your love must have desires, let these be your desires: To be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night, to wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving; to rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy; to return home at eventide with gratitude; then to sleep with a vision of the beloved in your heart and a song of love on your lips. May you be blessed with a lifetime of happiness and a home of warmth and understanding."

The preacher paused and Leelee, recognizing her cue, handed her bouquet to Sabriena and picked up the microphone that had been lying nearby for her. The piano began, once again joined by the violin, and Leelee's sultry voice sang out:

"Right from the start, you were a thief,  
You stole my heart and  
I your willing victim  
I let you see the parts of me  
That weren't all that pretty.  
And with every touch  
You fixed them.  
Now, you've been talking in your sleep  
Oh oh, things you never say to me,  
Oh oh, tell me that you've had enough  
Of our love, our love.  
Just give me a reason,  
Just a little bit's enough  
Just a second, we're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again.  
It's in the stars,  
It's been written in the scars on our hearts  
We're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again."

Gohan felt a burning in his eyes as he stared at Lindsey, his heart swelling with happiness. There was a haziness to the room, like everything but her had gone foggy. The glow from the dozens of candles surrounding them cast a beautiful glow across her features, her big green eyes staring up at him. He swallowed again, smiling at her. He mouthed the words, "I love you."

"I'm sorry I don't understand where  
All of this is coming from.  
I thought that we were fine,  
Oh, we had everything  
Your head is running wild again  
My dear, we still have everything  
And it's all in your mind.  
Yeah, but this is happenin'  
You've been having real bad dreams  
Oh oh, you use to lie so close to me  
Oh oh, there's nothing more than empty sheets  
Between our love, our love  
Ooooh, our love, our love.  
Just give me a reason,  
Just a little bit's enough  
Just a second, we're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again.  
I never stopped  
You're still written in the scars on my heart  
You're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again."

Lindsey stared up at Gohan, a wonder in her eyes at the man before her. How? How was it that after everything that had happened, everything they'd gone through, after all the pain she'd caused, that he was here, binding his heart and his life with hers? She didn't understand the depth of his love or his patience. But she didn't question it, either. She'd finally found her safe place, the love that she had craved for so long. As long as Gohan was with her, she would never have to be afraid of anything ever again. Never in her life had she ever met someone so loyal, so understanding, so forgiving. He was her everything, her whole world.

"Oh, tear ducts and rust  
I'll fix it for us  
We're collecting dust,  
But our love's enough.  
You're holding it in,  
You're pouring a drink  
No, nothing is as bad as it seems.  
We'll come clean!  
Just give me a reason,  
Just a little bit's enough  
Just a second, we're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again.  
It's in the stars  
It's been written in the scars on our hearts  
That We're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again.  
Just give me a reason,  
Just a little bit's enough  
Just a second, we're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again.  
It's in the stars  
It's still written in the scars on our hearts  
That we're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again.  
Ooh, we can learn to love again  
Ooh, we can learn to love again  
Oh, we're not broken  
Just bent and we can learn to love again."

The music ended and Gohan swallowed again, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. This was the part he was most nervous about: his vows.

"Lindsey," he began, "I am unconditionally and irrevocably in love with you. I knew it from the moment I met you. My decision to share my life with you is one I make willingly and with complete faith in the love that brought us together. It has always been our destiny to be one in heart, mind, body and soul. You are my best friend, my lover, and my soul mate. My love for you has no boundaries. I promise that I will always remain faithful and loyal to you, and be there when you need me the most. I will be your confidante, your lover and your friend; I will carry you through the hard times and guide you to happiness. I will always be understanding and considerate, patient and optimistic. I promise to be that driving force that keeps you going when you feel that life has failed you. I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, to never take one second for granted and to cherish you, now and forever."

Lindsey was fighting tears of happiness at that point. She took a shaky breath and answered, "Gohan, since I have found you, I have found a new meaning to my life. Because of you, I laugh, I smile, I dare to dream again. I promise to love you without reservation, comfort you in times of distress, encourage you, laugh with you and cry with you, grow with you in mind and spirit, always be open and honest with you, and cherish you and the family that we share together. You have shown me what love, true love, really is. You are everything I have ever needed in my life. We have already been through a lot together; I promise to keep the good memories alive and to let the bad ones die. From this day forward, you shall not walk alone. Take my hand, my heart, and walk through this world with me. Together, we will share our love with the world. Through the good and bad, I want you to always know that I will be by your side, forever."

Trunks gave a start as Lindsey stopped speaking. He'd been so intent on listening to her words that for a moment, he forgot it was his cue to hand Gohan the wedding ring. He dug in the pocket of his jacket and produced the diamond encrusted band. He handed it to Gohan, who nodded his appreciation. Gohan took Lindsey's hand and slid the band on her finger, next to the engagement ring. "With this ring, I thee wed."

Lindsey accepted the wide-banded ring Catie held and slid it onto Gohan's finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Do you, Gohan, take Lindsey to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?" the pastor asked.

Gohan nodded. "I do."

"Do you, Lindsey, take Gohan to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do you part?"

Lindsey smiled widely. "I do."

"Then, by the power vested in me by the State of Missouri, I pronounce you husband and wife!" the pastor said. He nodded to Gohan. "You may kiss your bride."

Gohan seemed to swell with happiness as he pulled Lindsey quickly to him, covering her mouth with his. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him as tight as she could, feeling as though her heart could burst.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers, some of them rising to their feet as Gohan continued to kiss her passionately. When they finally broke apart and the cheering subsided, the preacher said loudly, "I present to you for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Son Gohan!"

"Ready to take the first step as husband and wife?" Gohan asked, smiling.

Lindsey nodded enthusiastically and accepted her bouquet back from Catie.

They held hands and walked down the aisle as everyone stood and clapped again, music breaking out once more.

* * *

Lyrics to "Give Me Just a Reason" belong to P!nk.


	55. Pour Some Sugar On Me

Gohan kept flexing his fingers, the feel of the cool metal band foreign to him. He'd never worn jewelry before. He and Lindsey sat side by side at the long wedding party table before the DJ booth, looking out over the great room. The chairs had been quickly moved and tables brought in and set to surround the dance floor. More long tables at the side had been laden with food and the bar was open. Their friends and family mingled throughout the room, a dull roar of conversation ringing over the room.

"Should we go be social?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah!" Gohan grinned. "I want to meet the rest of your family!"

That wasn't exactly what Lindsey had been thinking, but she nodded and stood as Gohan pulled the chair out for her. Together they began to make their way through the crowd, shaking hands and giving hugs to their friends.

"There you are!" said a young man with dark hair.

"Hey, Bryson," Gohan smiled, extending a hand. He knew Lindsey's brother from the warehouse – they hadn't hung out together, but they were acquainted.

"That's Blake, dear," she corrected him. "They're identical."

"OH! I'm sorry," Gohan apologized.

Blake waved it off. "Everyone does that. It's nice to meet you."

Another young man with fiery red hair shook Gohan's hand as well. "I'm Danny," he introduced himself. He nodded at Lindsey, "I'm her favorite brother."

Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"How many brothers did you say you had again?" Gohan asked.

"Seven," Lindsey answered. "And two sisters."

"Where are they?" Gohan asked, scanning the crowd.

"Back in New York, if we're lucky," Blake said.

"No, they're here," Lindsey said.

Blake's blue eyes went wide. "Wow! Never thought I'd live to see the day."

"You don't get along with your sisters?" Gohan asked.

"They think they're better than the rest of us," Danny chimed in.

As if on cue, McKenzie and Kenna made their way through the crowd who stared at their stunning beauty as they passed; the sisters spotted Lindsey and Gohan, and walked swiftly towards them.

"You should run," Blake said in a warning voice, lifting a bottle of beer to his lips and turning slightly away.

"So this is the young man we've heard soooo much about," Kenna grinned. "How nice to meet you… uh…"

"Gohan," Lindsey said in an irritated voice. "His name is Gohan."

"Nice to meet you too," Gohan said nervously. He could see the family resemblance between his new wife and his sisters-in-law, yet there was a coldness to them that seemed very off from the rest of the family. He thought he understood everyone else's distaste for the sisters.

"Kenna," she said with a smug smile.

"McKenzie," the blonde said, the same expression on her face as her sister.

"Don't bother to say hi to your own brothers," Danny muttered.

"Hi," Kenna tossed at him. "The ceremony was…"

"Traditional," McKenzie said with a forced smile; her way of saying boring.

"So they said you girls live in New York?" Gohan asked, trying to make light conversation.

"Of course," Kenna answered. "Why waste our talents living anywhere else?"

"Except maybe our apartment in Paris," McKenzie added.

"Or the villa in Rome," Kenna nodded. "Not like a…" she looked around and wrinkled her nose "warehouse."

"Oh honey," McKenzie said to Lindsey, "don't take it that way! This place is…"

"Perfect, for you," Kenna completed McKenzie's sentence.

McKenzie's face split into a grin. "I'm sure you fit right in."

"Oh, look, Kenzie!" Lindsey cried. "There's grandma! Why don't you go tell her why you couldn't visit her for Christmas for the past four years."

McKenzie actually ducked and Kenna grabbed her by the arm and scurried away towards the caterer's tables. Gohan watched them go, blinking in disbelief. "They're adopted, right?"

Danny choked on his drink.

Blake snorted. "Let's hope they get really drunk and have embarrassing photos plastered all over Facebook."

"Gohan, aren't you going to introduce me to your bride?"

Gohan spun on the spot. "Grampa!"

The Ox King towered over everyone in the room, twice as tall as any of them and at least three times as wide. Lindsey couldn't help but think of the Harry Potter character Hagrid as she looked up at the man.

"Lins, this is my grandpa," Gohan beamed. "Grampa, this is Lindsey."

"Nice to meet you," the Ox King smiled.

"The pleasure's all mine, sir," she answered.

The Ox King gave Gohan a nudge with his elbow that nearly knocked Gohan over. "You hear that? Sir. She's a keeper, Gohan."

Gohan blushed and laughed.

"Hey, Ox! How ya been?" came Goku's voice.

"Oh hey there, Goku. Doing just fine!"

Chichi appeared next to her husband, beaming at her son and daughter-in-law. "It was a lovely wedding." She rushed forward and hugged them both, tears streaming down her face again.

"Oh Chichi," the Ox King said. "Don't cry, honey."

"I just can't believe my baby's all grown up and married," she sniffled.

"Come on," he said taking her by the shoulders and steering her towards a punch bowl. "Let's get you something to drink."

Goku chuckled as he watched them go.

"Dad?" Gohan said softly.

Goku turned. "I hope you two have a long and happy life together."

Gohan and Lindsey smiled at each other.

"I love you both," Goku said, stepping forward and hugging Gohan, then turning to Lindsey and hugging her too. "And I'm so proud to have you in our family."

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention?" Mirror Man was standing at the DJ booth, Tumbler by his side. "It is now time for the bride and groom to have their first dance as husband and wife. If you could, please clear the dance floor!"

Gohan led Lindsey out onto the dance floor, spinning her to him as the music started to play from the speakers. There was a relief in that moment, the two of them dancing in the middle of the dance floor, Gohan leaning his forehead against hers, just as he had done the first time they'd danced. She smiled sweetly up at him as he sung softly with the music, "I knew I loved you before I met you, I think I dreamed you in to life."

Lindsey sighed contentedly as they swayed to the music. The stress that had been plaguing her vanished. The wedding was done and there was no more worrying about it. It almost seemed silly to her now. What Jenny had been saying was true – the only thing that mattered was Gohan. "You're all mine now," she whispered.

"I always have been," he whispered back.

* * *

Everyone at the reception seemed to be having a good time. The food was excellent, the music kept the dance floor full, and there was plenty to drink. Throughout the evening, guests kept congratulating Lindsey and Gohan.

Mirror Man's voice broke over the speakers once again. "I think it's time to toast this lovely couple! I believe the Maid of Honor has a few things to say."

Catie stood and smoothed her skirt as Lindsey and Gohan looked up at her. She was beaming once again. "Hi everybody! I'm Catie and I was lucky enough to be chosen as Lindsey's Maid of Honor. Lindsey and I met about a year ago when we were both studying as foreign exchange students in Japan. In the short amount of time we've known each other, I have learned that she is a truly gifted artist, a loyal friend, and a fierce warrior – as long as she isn't face-to-face with a snake in a pond."

Lindsey giggled.

"I am truly honored to have Lindsey as a friend. She is the most amazing person I've ever met in my life. She has stared down obstacles in her life that people twice her age couldn't even fathom, yet she is still a remarkably kind and compassionate person. And nothing makes me happier than seeing how happy she is with Gohan. He and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but I know in my heart there isn't anyone out there who would be better for my best friend. And I know that everyone here agrees with me because we're all here to support them. We've come from all corners of the world to be here tonight – America, Korea, Russia, Japan… It doesn't matter where we're from or what language we speak. Tonight is about one thing and one thing only – love. Lindsey, Gohan, I love you both and I wish you many, many years of light, laughter and love." Catie raised her champagne glass. "To Lindsey and Gohan!"

The crowd echoed her and drank from their own glasses.

Trunks stood, clearing his throat, and scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Ah I guess it's my turn now. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Trunks, I'm the best man and I was informed just last night that it's customary for me to give a speech. Thank you, Kolya, for the last second reminder." Trunks lifted his glass in appreciation and Kolya's voice rang out from somewhere in the crowd, "Now do not mess it up!"

Laughter rang out all around as Trunks struggled to keep a straight face. "First of all, I would like to say a big thank you to Yorgi and Yelena for providing such a wonderful ceremony for Gohan and Lindsey, and for inviting us all into their home on this special day. Thank you to everyone for coming. And thank you, ladies," Trunks smiled at the bridesmaids, "For giving us something nice to look at that we can still have a shot at." The crowd laughed. "As I begin this wedding speech one of the first thoughts that come to mind is... if I'm the best man... then why is Lindsey getting married to Gohan?"

There was a roar of laughter from the crowd and Lindsey's face went rather pink. Catie snickered and elbowed Lindsey.

Trunks continued, "I guess because today, I am just a really good man and Gohan is the best man. From speaking with Kolya about how to deliver a great best man speech, I learned that I am expected to sing the praises of the groom and tell you what a wonderful guy Gohan is. Unfortunately, I'm a bad singer and a bad liar."

Gohan was shaking his head, laughing.

Trunks turned to Gohan and Lindsey. "I need you guys to help me out, here. Lindsey, could you place your left hand on the table?"

She gave him a suspicious look, but did as she was asked.

"Gohan, put your hand on top of hers."

Gohan did and chuckled, wondering what Trunks was up to.

"Good. Now leave them there til I'm done." He looked to the crowd again. "Instead of boring you all with a bunch of stories like about the night we convinced Gohan to go drunken sledding with us or how Lindsey likes to beat people with the controller when she loses a video game…"

Both Gohan and Lindsey turned red in the face as everyone laughed again.

"I would like to say how beautiful Lindsey looks. I have always known Lindsey to be a very kind-hearted girl. But it was only today that I found out how brave she is. C'mon, we all know it takes guts to marry someone like Gohan! Lindsey, tonight, you look so gorgeous and I think every guy in this room will agree with me when I say it is a very sad day for us as a beautiful, wonderful girl is officially taken off the market. And, I have to say, every GIRL in the room will agree with me when I say that today… is just another day."

Jenny covered her mouth and snorted in laughter, Sabriena nodded her head enthusiastically as the room laughed again and Gohan threw his head back, laughing too. Trunks pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and made a show of looking at it.

"Gohan and I have been friends for quite awhile now and he is one amazing guy. And I would just like to say that Gohan is a hard-working, genuine, good-looking, charming, intelligent, and… uh…" Trunks peered closely at the paper in his hand, "Gohan, man, I can't read your writing."

Lindsey laughed as Gohan buried his face in her shoulder. Seventeen clapped and pumped his fist in the air.

"I believe that marriage is a wonderful thing for Gohan. It will teach him loyalty, self-restraint and control. And it will develop in him a sense of responsibility, fair play and so many other qualities he wouldn't need if he had just stayed single. Gohan, to have a happy marriage, you only have to do one thing. You have to set rules and establish who's the boss – then do everything she says."

Lindsey grinned and nodded as Gohan bit his lip and laughed.

"Seriously, though," Trunks said, "I know that these two are meant for each other. The things I've seen them accomplish, the things they have overcome, the way they can brighten the room and make everyone around them feel welcome… it amazes me every day. I can't think of any two people more perfect for each other than Gohan and Lindsey. You guys are truly the best friends I've ever had and I hope that we will always be friends because I know the two of you are going to do great things, and I want to witness it first-hand."

Lindsey smiled kindly at Trunks as Gohan swallowed a lump in his throat.

"And speaking of hands, there's a reason I had you place your hand on top of hers, buddy," Trunks said. He leaned down close and said, "I just wanted you to enjoy these last few minutes. Cause this is the last time in your life you will ever have the upper hand."

Gohan laughed again and Lindsey giggled.

Trunks stood up straight again, raising his glass in the air and said, "To Gohan and Lindsey!"

* * *

The reception carried well into the night, the music becoming louder and faster as the guests consumed more drinks and let loose on the dance floor. At one point, the girls set up a dollar dance to earn Gohan and Lindsey some spending money for their honeymoon where guests were asked to pay to dance with either of them. Most guests offered a few dollars to dance with either the bride or the groom, but Kolya upped the ante, strolling forward and making a big production of dropping a huge wad of cash into the big clear hurricane glass Sabriena was holding. Lindsey turned expectantly to dance with him, but he brushed past her, grabbing Gohan and spinning him out onto the dance floor. Lindsey doubled over in laughter as Gohan turned rather red yet again and many in the crowd cheered.

Bulma, not wanting to be outdone, polished off her glass of champagne, handed Paige to Vegeta (who looked rather uncomfortable and hissed "WOMAN!"), marched up and dropped just as much, if not more money into the glass than Kolya and took Lindsey by the hand to dance.

Lindsey was still laughing as she and Bulma danced together. "You're the best, Bulma," Lindsey giggled.

"You're not so bad either," Bulma smiled. "I think you really make Gohan happy."

"I hope so," Lindsey said earnestly.

It wasn't long before Catie decided to rescue Gohan and cut in on his dance with Kolya. Kolya didn't seem to mind and went back to Sabriena with more money to dance with Lindsey.

"Thank you," Gohan whispered loudly to Catie.

It would have been impossible for Kolya to hear it, but he must have read Gohan's lips because he shouted, "YOU LOVED IT."

Soon after, there was a call for the bouquet toss and Lindsey made her way to the front of the room with the throwing bouquet.

"All of the single ladies in the room, please make your way to the floor," Mirror Man said. "Now, the rules are: no shoving! No scratching! No hair pulling!"

Lindsey grinned and turned her back to the group of young women behind her. She held the bouquet with both hands, bouncing as she counted, "One! Two! THREE!" The flowers sailed over her head and most of the group dove for it – Sabriena stood at the back, unmoving, looking at her nails. She suddenly looked up as the other ladies clambered for the bouquet.

"What?!" she asked in an exasperated tone.

"I got it!" Jenny cried, disentangling herself from the other girls, the bouquet held high above her head.

Piccolo's eyes widened and he swallowed hard.

Lindsey started to make her way off the dance floor when Mirror Man stopped her. "Nuh-uh, missy! We gotta do the garter toss now."

"Oh!" she said, blushing.

"Gohan, get yo' happy married ass out here," Mirror Man said.

Gohan walked to her, looking a bit uncomfortable again and Trunks followed.

"Your seat, m'lady," Trunks grinned and threw himself on the floor on his hands and knees.

Lindsey ogled at him for a minute before Trunks said through gritted teeth, "Just sit down, will ya?"

She cast a nervous glance around at the crowd who began to cat-call at her and she sat on Trunks' back. She was suddenly aware of how high on her leg the garter was, but there was no way to adjust it. Gohan was going to have to go looking for that thing.

Gohan stood before her, flexing his fingers again and closing his eyes for a brief moment, going over the plan in his head again. He couldn't believe Trunks and Kolya had convinced him to do this. They'd gone over it for days, swearing each other to secrecy to never tell a soul that they had rehearsed it.

"Single guys, to the dance floor!" Mirror Man commanded and began to blare "Pour Some Sugar on Me" over the speakers. A large group of men formed on the edge of the dance floor.

Gohan opened his eyes as he took a couple steps back. Lindsey's eyes went wide and she asked, "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer her as the drum beats blasted over the speakers and he began to dance. He mouthed the words to the song as if singing along, playing air-guitar. Lindsey placed her hands on either side of her face in shock. The crowd roared their encouragement. Gohan spun in tight circles on his heel, sliding smoothly down into the splits and back up. Lindsey could feel Trunks shaking with laughter under her. Gohan danced closer to her, leaning over and continuing to lip-sing as he brought his face close to hers. He turned suddenly, his hands on his knees, wiggling his hips in her lap. She shrieked in laughter as the crowd screamed and cat-called. He straightened and danced forward, concentrating on the steps. When he'd neared the line of men standing at the edge of the dance floor, he turned towards her and took three long running steps towards her, dropped to his knees and slid across the dance floor, skidding to a stop at the edge of her skirt.

"I'm hot, sticky sweet! From my head, to my feet!"

Gohan dramatically lifted Lindsey's skirt as she extended her right leg to him. She expected him to reach under the skirt to retrieve the garter, but then he did something that completely shocked her. He ducked his whole upper body under the skirt. She screamed in laughter and surprise. Gohan stuck his hands back and raised them to show the crowd he wasn't using them.

"Oh my, oh my, oh my!" Chichi cried, covering her face with her hands.

"YEAH GOHAN!" Bulma screamed. "THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!"

"No more wine for you," Vegeta said in a determined sort of way and removed the glass from his wife's hand.

Gohan didn't know what he had expected to see when he dove under the skirt, but smiled to himself as he saw his bride's thigh-high white fishnet stockings, garter belt straps, and a bit of the lace panties she wore. It wasn't part of the plan, but he couldn't help himself. He kissed the inside of her thigh, lightly scraping his teeth against it.

Obviously, Lindsey hadn't expected it and gave a big jump, her hands coming down quickly on Gohan's back to steady herself from falling off of Trunks. Her eyes were as big as saucers. Gohan snickered at her reaction, still keeping his hands in view of the audience, and spotted the hot pink and black lace garter around his wife's thigh. He hooked it in his teeth, slowly withdrawing from under her skirt, tugging the garter down her leg. The guests cheered as he slid it over her heel and stood, pulling it from his mouth with his hand.

He turned to look at Lindsey, stretched the garter between his thumbs over his shoulder and released it like a rubber band. Several of the guys dived forward, scrambling for the garter, and Kolya and Seventeen each managed to get a hold of part of it. They wrestled on the floor for a minute as everyone laughed; in the end, Seventeen stood with the garter clenched in his fist, raising his arm victoriously as Kolya tapped his fingers on the floor, narrowing his eyes up at Seventeen.

Keeping his torso parallel to the floor, Trunks stood, rising Lindsey into the air slightly and Gohan stretched his hands to her as she slid from Trunks' back.

"That was awesome," she laughed, kissing her husband.

"Told ya she'd love it," Trunks smiled.

* * *

It was getting close to midnight when Memphis stood near the DJ booth with a microphone in his hand. The music toned down and the crowd turned to him. He was smiling widely once again. "I would just like to say a few words," Memphis said, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna interfere with the midnight count down. But how appropriate for Lindsey and Gohan to choose this evening for their wedding. In just a few minutes, it will be the New Year. A time of new beginnings, new promises, and a new life together. So, in honor of this new life that the two of you are forming together, I'd like to give one last gift." He motioned them forward and reached into his suit jacket, withdrawing a long envelope. He gave each of them a long look and then placed the envelope in Gohan's hand. "Congratulations, guys."

Lindsey tilted her head in question at Memphis as Gohan opened the envelope and unfolded the paper inside it. His eyes went wide as he stared at it.

"What is it?" Lindsey smiled. The whole room had gone completely silent.

"Memphis, you shouldn't have done this," Gohan said quietly.

Memphis was still smiling. "I wanted to."

Gohan looked at Lindsey in disbelief. "He bought us a house."

Lindsey blinked her eyes several times in shock. "What? Where?" she asked as a cheer went up among the crowd for the newlyweds.

"On the other side of Mount Pazou," Gohan breathed. He looked to Memphis again. "I don't know what to say."

"Say 'thank you'," Memphis laughed.

Although Gohan didn't know Memphis very well, he threw his arms around the man and hugged him tightly. "This means a lot to us."

Memphis nodded with a smile as Lindsey threw herself at him and hugged him too. There was a smashing of glass and everyone jumped to see Yorgi standing there, a smashed bottle of absinthe at his feet. He looked murderous. A heavy silence hung in the air and Kolya rushed forward, pausing in the middle of the room, looking confused.

Yelena hurried to Yorgi, trying to usher him from the room, but he brushed her off. He spat the Russian word for "traitor" at Memphis and stared at him, his nose twitching. Kolya strode forward and spun his elder brother towards the door. Yorgi threw Kolya off and continued out of the room of his own volition.

Lindsey was blinking back tears. That was the first time she'd seen Yorgi all day.

Mirror Man lowered the lights as workers hired for the reception hurried forward to clean up the alcohol and glass on the floor. "Here we go, ya'll," Mirror Man said as a large screen flickered to life on the wall. The ball in New York City was getting ready to drop once again for their time zone. Guests scurried to find their partners on the dance floor as the time showed thirty seconds to midnight.

"This is it," Gohan smiled, sliding the paper into a pocket inside his jacket and turning to Lindsey.

"The last event of the night," she responded.

"Well, the last we're going to do here," he grinned.

She giggled.

"TEN!" the wedding guests cried.

"I love you, Gohan."

"NINE!"

"I love you more, Lindsey."

"EIGHT!"

"I can't wait to get out of here."

"SEVEN!"

"And start our life together?"

"SIX!"

"Just the two of us."

"FIVE!"

"This is the longest ten seconds ever."

"FOUR!"

She threw her head back and laughed.

"THREE!"

"Seriously."

"TWO!"

"Well then, kiss me," she smiled.

"ONE!"

In an instant he pulled her to him, their lips meeting.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

Sophie pulled a cord at one corner of the room and gold confetti rained down on the crowd.

"I'm glad I don't have to clean that up," Chichi said as she and Goku broke apart. He had enthusiastically scooped his wife into his arms to give her a New Year's kiss.

The screen on the wall dimmed and music rang out again.

"Can we go now?" Gohan asked.

Lindsey nodded and pulled him by the hand, searching for Goku and Chichi.

"Hey guys," Goku greeted them.

"We're gonna get going," Gohan told them.

"Oh!" Chichi said. "O-okay, Gohan. You two be safe and careful and have a good time on your trip."

They hugged Gohan's parents before heading to the wedding party table.

"You guys heading out?" Piccolo asked

"Yeah, we have to check into the hotel and then we have a flight to catch first thing in the morning," Gohan answered.

The bridesmaids were looking a bit sullen at that moment.

"Now come on, girls," Lindsey grinned. "We'll all be back together in Japan in two weeks."

The girls glanced at each other, and Catie shook her head sadly. "No, babe, we won't."


	56. The One That Got Away

Lindsey felt like she'd been hit in the stomach with a sledge hammer. "What? What do you mean?"

"Well," Catie started nervously, "Leelee and Seventeen are going on that big trip."

Lindsey nodded, "Yeah I know about that."

"And, well, Trunks and I have decided that we'd like to go visit my family," Catie said. "Maybe spend the summer on the west coast."

"The summer?" Lindsey gasped. "But, that's like another eight months from now before summer ends. It's only New Years!"

Catie nodded, looking apologetic. "I know."

Lindsey was feeling panicked and slightly angry. "But… but…" she stammered. She rounded on Sabriena. "What about you?"

Sabriena chewed the corner of her mouth for a second. "I'm staying here."

"Really?" Lindsey asked, looking like she was going to deflate.

"I didn't enjoy Japan," Sabriena answered. "I really like it here."

"Jenny," Lindsey said, turning to her. Jenny was cradling Paige in her arms. "You…"

"I'll be there," Jenny nodded. "We're leaving first thing in the morning, too."

Lindsey heaved a sigh of relief. She turned to the other three girls. "This feels like an eternity."

"Nah," Leelee answered. "We'll be back in Japan to annoy you before you know it."

Lindsey swallowed a hard lump in her throat, then stepped forward to hug her friends. Gohan had been shaking hands with his groomsmen, saying goodbye. Then he turned to the bridesmaids as Lindsey stepped towards Piccolo, Seventeen and Trunks.

"So I guess this is goodbye for now, huh?" Gohan asked.

Catie nodded, tears starting to brim in her eyes.

"Hey, don't be sad," Gohan said, stepping forward and wrapping Catie in a tight hug. "We'll all be together again soon."

She pressed her face against his chest, nodding and trying not to cry on him.

"Thanks for being with us," Lindsey said.

"Wouldn't have missed this for the world," Seventeen answered, a gleam in his eyes. "And it doesn't look like it's ending anytime soon, with or without you guys."

Lindsey gave Seventeen a quick hug and turned to Trunks. "And you…"

He held his hands up innocently, "Everything was Kolya's idea."

"You know, you won't always be able to blame everything on Kolya," she teased.

"I'm really happy for you guys," Trunks said and gave her a long hug. "I promise, we'll come back home soon. Okay?"

Lindsey nodded and turned to Piccolo. A sudden thought struck her. "You know, I don't know if I ever said this to you, but thank you."

"For what?" he asked. He really hadn't participated in much of the wedding, other than simply being present.

"You were the first who tried to save me from myself," she answered quietly. "I really do owe you something for that."

"No," Piccolo answered. "We're even. You held my hand when I thought Jenny was dying and I couldn't do anything for her. I think we're square."

Lindsey nodded and hesitated for a moment, then hugged Piccolo tightly. "Take care of those girls while I'm away."

"I will," he promised.

She released him and smiled up at him.

"Ready to go?" Gohan asked.

"Just a minute," Lindsey said, looking upwards at the balcony that surrounded the great room. "I have to say goodbye to someone else first."

* * *

Tapping nervously on the door, Lindsey creaked it open, despite the fact that no one had bid her enter. Yorgi looked up from his desk, looking absolutely miserable. A full, unopened bottle of vodka sat next to a glass of half-melted ice. "Little Dove," he said slowly.

"Yorgi," she whispered and knelt next to him.

"Don't leave," he said quietly.

She searched his face, finally capturing his eyes, which looked tired and sad. She touched his cheeks as she stared at him. "I have to," she answered in a soft tone.

He heaved a sigh, leaning his face into the soft touch of her hands.

"I owe you so much," she continued, her voice barely above a whisper. "You have been everything to me for so long. But I just can't stay here. It's not you, Yorgi. It's this place. Too many bad memories."

He nodded. "I know." He sniffed and rubbed one eye with the heel of his hand. "You haff always been more than my employee, Little Dove. Since the first day you came to me…"

"I know," she answered. She'd been lost for two years without a father when she found Yorgi. She had been full of fire and anger and wildness – he channeled that into something he could use and teach and form. At the time, she had become the youngest member of Anarchy 99. He'd watched her grow over the past few years, gave her everything money could buy, and would have bought more had she only asked. But he understood now. It wasn't money that she needed. And it angered him that the one thing she needed most was the one thing he couldn't buy for her.

He reached and took her hands in his, removing them from his face, and held them in his lap. "You are always welcome here."

Tears brimmed in her eyes as she stared at him. She was starting to doubt returning to Japan. She felt that she was needed here, with Yorgi, bad memories be damned. She'd lost her father; could she just freely walk away from the man who had taken her in? Deep down, she knew Yorgi was bad news, knew his empire would fall one day, but behind it all, behind the cold exterior, there was a certain vulnerability that pulled at her heart.

"I love you," she whispered to him.

Yorgi looked at her as if the words were foreign to him. How long had it been since someone had said that to him? He swallowed and nodded, not able to express the same to her.

"Lins?" Gohan asked, sticking his head in the room. He spotted her and stepped fully into the room. "Everything okay?"

A tear slid from her eye as she looked from her husband to Yorgi. Yorgi drew a long breath through his nose, then got to his feet, pulling Lindsey up with him. He did not release her hands. "Come," he said to Gohan.

Gohan stepped closer to them, his dark eyes meeting Yorgi's nearly bloodshot hazel ones. Yorgi dropped Lindsey's right hand and took one of Gohan's. "I give you my Little Dove," he said, placing Lindsey's hand in Gohans, then placing both of his hands around theirs. A knot was forming in his throat. "You take care of her." He squeezed their hands tightly, staring intently at Gohan and blinking several times, his jaw clenched.

"Always," Gohan promised sincerely, keeping his eyes level with Yorgi's. They stared hard at each other for a long moment, as if sealing the promise between them.

Yorgi gave one sharp nod, then slowly released their hands. He turned back to his desk, slowly unscrewing the top to the vodka bottle. Gohan and Lindsey walked to the door, but she hesitated on the threshold and looked back at Yorgi. He looked positively miserable, staring at the desk top. Steeling herself, she hitched up her skirt and ran back to him, thudding against his chest, hugging him tightly. He stared down at her for a moment, then melted into the hug. He realized in that moment that Kolya was not the only one unafraid of him. It had never been fear that tethered Lindsey to him. And that realization made it hurt ten times as much.

"Never lose this," he said softly against her ear. "This compassion you have for people. You are a rare thing, Little Dove. Stay this way forever."

She nodded, squeezed him tighter than ever, and without another word, released him and disappeared through the door with Gohan.

* * *

They walked silently down the hallway, hand-in-hand. It all seemed very surreal in that moment. This would be the last time they walked this hall, the last time they were in this house. Lindsey blinked back bittersweet tears. She wanted out of this life, to escape all the bad memories and poor decisions that had happened here. But it hadn't always been bad. In fact, there were lots of happy memories here too. They played in her mind as she walked the halls. The memory of Kolya rolling off the bed in laughter about fish drowning. Trunks dragging Seventeen into a closet during a game of hide and seek. She and the girls sitting on her bed, screaming at the tops of their lungs over a huge pile of cash. Viktor teaching her dirty words in Russian. Tumbler and Kip setting a booby trap for Kirill that ended in him covered in a bucket of pudding. Dancing with Sophie and Sam and Danica and all the other girls in Anarchy 99. She and Xander jumping and screaming like idiots when they repaired his car. Yelena fastening a black diamond necklace around Lindsey's throat. Memphis showing her the proper way to hotwire a mustang. Yorgi smiling at her and calling her "Little Dove" in his heavy Russian accent.

"You okay?" Gohan asked softly.

She nodded. "I'm fine."

"We don't have to go if you don't want to," he said.

"Yes, we do," she answered. "I'm ready."

"There's one more person to say goodbye to," Gohan told her.

Lindsey looked at him, her eyes questioning.

Gohan stopped outside a bedroom door and knocked.

"Yeah?" came a deep voice.

Gohan opened the door to an electric blue walled room. "Do it properly," Gohan told her. "I'm going to go get our bags."

Xander was sitting on the end of his bed. He'd changed from his suit back into his favorite red, black, and silver pants and a sleeveless black shirt. A cover of "The One that Got Away" was playing from his computer. He looked up at her.

"You look really beautiful," he told her.

She walked to him. "We're getting ready to go."

"I know," he answered, looking back to his boots.

They stayed that way for a moment, each lost in their thoughts, the slow, sad version of the song playing over the computer speakers.

She laughed suddenly. "You know, I think I danced with every person here except you."

He snorted softly. "Yeah, well, I didn't want to make you look bad."

"Oh, that's just silly," she said, reaching for his hands. "May I have this dance?"

He looked up at her. "Oh stop, you're making me blush." But he got to his feet, taking her left hand in his right, resting the other hand on her waist. Her fingers wrapped around his tattooed bicep; his arm trembled slightly.

The pretty soprano voice of the unknown singer rang out over the speakers.

"_In another life,_

_ I would be your girl,_

_We'd keep all our promises, _

_Be us against the world."_

They revolved slowly on the spot; Xander never had been one for slow dances. He knew she wasn't his anymore. He'd known that for a long time now. But they had a long, intense history together and that isn't something you just walk away from.

They'd both come to Anarchy 99, lost and needing something that was missing in their lives. They found that in each other, in their friends, and in Yorgi. There had been a point in their lives where they had been inseparable. Young and stupid, they both threw themselves into a relationship neither had been prepared to handle. It had been rocky and overwhelming, both of their personalities too big for the other to contain. They were too stubborn, too selfish, too naïve for it to have ever worked. But when it was good, it was the best. They could work side-by-side, practically reading each other's minds, knowing the other's next move or word or impulse. No one could pull a boost as quickly and flawlessly as they could, each a shadow of the other as they worked. No one could fuel and tame Xander's temper as easily as she could; no one could pull her head out of the clouds and set her straight without damaging her ego like Xander. Maybe it could have worked, Xander wondered, if they both hadn't been such hotheads.

_A man's voice sang the next lines._

_"__In other life,_

_ I would make you stay,_

_So I don't have to say _

_You were the one that got away_

_The one that got away."_

He knew he wouldn't see her again after this. This was it. The ride was over, the crash and burn after the big rush. He was going to have to move on to the next stunt, the next thrill and walk away from this one. Not everything always worked out the way you wanted it to. But there was a calm peacefulness about it. He knew she was safe. And she was happy. Now all he had to do was find the thing that gave him that same contentedness.

The final notes to the song played and drifted to a stop.

"The limo's waiting for us," Gohan said, stepping into the room.

Lindsey nodded to him.

"I guess this is it, huh?" Xander asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

"Gohan…"

"I'll take care of her," Gohan answered.

Xander shook his head. "Naw, I was gonna say, I still hate you." But Xander smiled as he said it.

Gohan laughed. "Hate you too, bro."

They stared at each other, both with a slightly amused look on their faces at annoying each other. Lindsey looked from Xander to Gohan several times, then finally threw her hands in the air. "Will the two of you ever stop it?!"

"No," they answered together.

She shook her head, her shoulders slumping.

"You kids be good," Xander said casually, as if Lindsey and Gohan were doing nothing more than going to the movies. He threw himself into his gaming chair, picking up a controller.

"Bye, X," Lindsey said.

He waved without looking away from his TV.

* * *

There was a thundering coming from every direction as Lindsey and Gohan made their way through the house and they looked around curiously.

"What on earth?" Gohan asked.

"I don't know," she answered.

They reached the formal living room where the fire still crackled merrily, the five Christmas trees twinkling in the semi-darkness. They crossed the room hand in hand, Gohan reaching for the door and opening it against the freezing, blustering night. As they walked across the freshly shoveled walk, screams and shouts erupted behind them and they spun on their heels to look up at the house. The windows were full of their friends and family who had thrown the windows open and were leaning out, shouting their goodbyes, waving and smiling.

"Gohan," she breathed, smiling. "Look."

He smiled too, waving back at everyone.

"WE LOVE YOU!" Sophie screamed from a third-story window.

"BE GOOD TO HIM, LINDSEY!"

"KEEP HER IN LINE, GOHAN!"

Tears brimmed in Lindsey's eyes again as she pressed her fingers to her lips, blowing kisses back at her friends and family with both hands. Gohan had one arm around her waist, waving widely back at them. Booming cracks echoed over the grounds as the sky exploded in showers of brightly colored sparks. Kolya and Viktor stood on the roof, setting off fireworks.

"Come here, you," Gohan growled, spinning her harshly against his chest, covering her mouth with a passionate kiss.

More cheers rang out from the house windows. The limousine driver opened the door for them as they broke their kiss and Gohan led her by the hand as she looked over her shoulder, waving and blowing more kisses. She looked at the top most floor and saw Yorgi standing there. He raised a glass to her as if in toast and she blew one kiss directly his way. From his place on the roof directly over Yorgi's room, Kolya pretended to catch the kiss, slammed his hand against his chest and toppled over backwards on the rooftop. She laughed as she slid into the seat of the limo and scooted across the bench seat. Gohan turned and waved one more time, then slid into the seat next to her, closing the door behind him. She spun in her seat, staring out the back glass, one hand pressed against the cool pane, staring for the last time at the house. Gohan turned with her to look back at them. The limo lurched and began to roll down the long drive, then turned down the highway and the house faded from sight.

They sunk back into the seat, both heaving a sigh and looking at the floor of the limo. Their eyes flickered towards each other and simultaneously, without a word, they threw themselves at each other.

* * *

Author's note: This chapter was hard for me to write. It's a funny thing, how attached you can become to a fictional character. Yorgi is a character I have really fallen in love with and I love writing. It has been a challenge for me to write him – to balance the truly dark aspect of his character, but giving him a humanness at the same time. Letting go of a character is a hard thing to do. I actually cried a bit when I wrote this. (And if you want to listen to the music I listened to while writing this, look up Tiffany Alvord on youtube and listen to her cover of "The One That Got Away.")


	57. Wedding Night

Gohan set the suitcases on the hallway floor, retrieving the key for their hotel suite from his pocket. He opened the door, then swept his new wife into his arms as she grinned at him. He stepped into the room, carrying her to the middle of it and setting her back on her feet once again.

"It's perfect," she smiled.

"Not bad," he agreed, glancing around the room. "I'd better get our bags."

Lindsey was staring at the king-sized bed before her and felt a rush of butterflies. When she'd returned from her training with Goku, she and Gohan had had a long talk and agreed that, in an attempt to make the night more special, they would wait until their wedding night to make love again. This would be her first time to do it sober since she'd been attacked.

The door banged shut and Gohan set their bags on the floor. He walked towards her, feeling a bit nervous himself.

"So, ah, you just wanna go to bed?" he asked, half-joking.

"Jackass," she whispered.

He snorted in laughter.

"I should go in the bathroom," she said, thinking of undressing there but stopped herself at the expression on Gohan's face. "Oh, right," she blinked, "bad idea."

He nodded, narrowing his eyes slightly. They both laughed lightly.

"You nervous?" he asked her, stepping closer, taking her by the waist and pulling her to him.

Her voice came out in a shaky breath. "Yes."

He tipped her chin up to him. "Lins, it's me. Just me. I'm not gonna hurt you."

She nodded and licked her lips, sliding her hands up his arms, reaching up to kiss him softly. He wrapped his arms around her slowly, holding her close. His heart was pounding in his ears as he ran his fingers up the back of her dress, searching for the zipper pull. His hands shook as he found it and slowly pulled it down, never pulling his lips from hers. The zipper stopped and he released it; the dress slid from her body and rustled to the floor. Still kissing her gently, he reached down and picked her up in his arms, walking slowly towards the bed. He set her gently on the bed, leaning over her. Only then did he break the kiss. His black eyes searched hers, looking for any sign of doubt in them. She looked nervous.

"You know I love you," he said softly. "I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love someone."

She nodded. "I love you, too."

He stood and slid the jacket from his shoulders, dropping it on the floor, and wrenched the tie around his neck away. His eyes roamed over her – the silvery white corset that pinched her curves, the white garter belt that snapped to her stockings, the intricate lace garter on her left thigh. His breathing was shallow as he unbuttoned his shirt and threw it to the floor.

Lindsey drew a deep breath as Gohan's heavily muscled form stood before her. She watched as he dropped to his knees, gently taking her leg in his hand and slid her shoes from her feet, kissing her ankle, her shin, her knee, the front of her thigh… he unsnapped one of the stockings and slid it from her leg, his strong hands then running up the other leg to do the same. Chills ran down her spine and she closed her eyes at his touch.

Gohan ran his hands up her smooth legs, kissing his way along the length of one of them, pausing at her hipbone and slowly exhaling a hot breath over it. She ran her fingers through his hair and goosebumps sprung up on his arms. He crawled over her, kissing her lips again, kicking his shoes off the edge of the bed. He wanted her so bad, but had promised himself to go slow, to make it last, to enjoy every single moment of his first time making love to his wife. No longer his girlfriend or fiancée, but wife. He kissed her jaw, her neck. He slid his arms under her back and sat up on his knees, pulling her with him. She slid her knees under herself, her arms around his shoulders. She broke the kiss, her face close to his as she reached back to loosen the laces of her corset.

He swallowed as he watched the restraining fabric loosen around her torso. Her slender fingers moved to the front, slowly unhooking the busk and dropping the corset to the bed, revealing the soft curves it held. Gohan's hands shook as he placed them on her waist, his touch light as he traced the imprinted lines the steel boning had left on her skin. They paused on her ribs and he met her eyes again, questioning.

"It's okay," she whispered.

His touch firmer now, he slid his hands up to cup the heavy curves as he lowered his face to them, kissing the valley between. She threw her head back, one hand sliding around his side to rest on his back, the other tangled in his dark hair. His right hand moved to hold her between her shoulder blades as he leaned harder against her, bending her back against the bed, her knees still folded underneath her. His left hand went to his belt, unbuckling it and yanking it away with a leathery snap. Gohan turned his face to one side, kissing the curve of her breast, his left hand sliding back up her side and curling over the top of the comforting curve. He slowly kissed along the crest of it, hesitating for a moment over the taught pink flesh, opening his mouth to breathe over her again.

Lindsey hissed at the warm rush of air from his throat and pulled at the back of his neck, encouraging him. There was a comfort growing in her as her husband held her, being so gentle, so cautious as to not harm or frighten her. He lowered his mouth over her and sucked gently, opening his eyes to look up at her, carefully testing her reaction.

"Gohan," she moaned, closing her eyes, leaning her head back and arcing her hips against his stomach.

He closed his eyes again, drawing a deep breath through his nose, and pressed his face harder into the firm swell of her breast, widening his mouth to capture more of her. She was sighing contentedly, squirming slightly beneath him. He pulled back, releasing her, running his tongue over her, then captured the other in his mouth, giving it the same slow, deliberate attention. He wanted to draw it out, to memorize every dip and curve of her body, to explore every inch of it. He could feel the warmth of her body pressing against his lower stomach as she raised her hips slightly against him, the lace brushing against his skin. He kissed her lips again, his hands on her hips, hooking his fingers around the thin strips of lace. He slid them down, stretching them over her knees and began to kiss his way slowly down her body. He pressed his lips against the firm, flat muscles of her lower stomach, breathing in her scent. Her hands trailed up his shoulders to rest in his hair. He kissed her still lower, moving slowly to the inside of her thigh, glancing up at her for reassurance. Her back arched again, hiding her face, but her fingers twisted in his hair and that was all the encouragement he needed. He nuzzled his face against her, his mouth opening to capture her once more.

Lindsey hissed at the warm pull of his mouth, the feel of his tongue sliding over her. His hands slid under the backs of her thighs, his hands wrapping around them, spreading her legs further apart. She groaned and pulled at his hair. He pressed his face harder against her body, his hot mouth alternating between flicking his tongue lazily against her and sucking her gently. Gohan moaned, the vibration from his throat making her gasp.

She tasted so sweet, Gohan felt he could do this for hours. He felt himself harden, but he wasn't worried about that at the moment. His only concern was pleasing her. He slid his right hand under her again, bringing a finger up to beneath his chin, carefully touching her. Slowly, ever so slowly, he slid his fingertip inside her body and she whimpered.

Terrified, Gohan froze and his head snapped up to look at her.

"Don't stop," she begged softly.

He quickly lowered his mouth again, closing his eyes and sighing in relief. He pressed his finger deeper, feeling her warm muscles clench around it. He slowly withdrew it and pressed in again, pleased to feel a slick wetness on his hand. She wasn't faking it and she wasn't forcing herself to do anything. Withdrawing his hand once more, he extended a second finger and slid both of them inside her.

"Ohhhh!" she moaned, her hips writhing slightly.

He pressed his fingers into her until his knuckles were flush with her body, then wiggled them within her as he continued to lick the soft, pink flesh before him.

"Gohan," she whined, "I need you."

He flicked the tip of his tongue over her rapidly before getting to his knees, never removing his hand. He moved the pad of his thumb to tease her as he watched her wriggle on the bed, her arms over her head, eyes clenched shut.

"Please," she whispered. "Make love to me." She looked up at him, her big green eyes pleading.

Holding her gaze, he withdrew his hand and sucked his fingers for a moment. He unbuttoned the waist of his slacks and stood to drop them and his boxers to the floor.

She pushed herself up with her hands to rake her eyes over his body – the chiseled muscles of his chest, the flat plains of his stomach, his hard, thick length. He dropped to his knees on the bed again, leaning over her. "Are you sure?" he asked throatily.

She nodded, laying back and stretching her legs out. He lowered his body on top of hers, feeling her soft curves pressing against him as she slid her right leg around the back of his thigh. He kissed her deeply, the tip of his shaft against her body. She reached up for him, pulling his shoulders down towards her and lifted her hips towards him. He closed his eyes and growled slightly as the moist heat from her body slid against the tip of him.

"Please," she begged again.

Locking his eyes on hers, Gohan lowered his hips, slowly sliding himself into the hot, slick wetness of her body. His jaw dropped slightly at the familiar feel of her body around his, gasping at how it felt so comforting, so enticing, and still somehow so new. He held himself there for a moment, watching her reaction, letting her muscles adjust around him. She bit her bottom lip harshly and bucked her hips against him. Propping himself on his elbows, Gohan slowly and deliberately began to thrust within her.

Gasping in pleasure, Lindsey threw her left leg around his waist, pulling him into her over and over again. She pulled at his hair with one hand, digging her nails into his back with the other. He filled her completely, stretching her to the limit, making her ache with pleasure. His ebony eyes bore into hers as their bodies met again and again; each powerfully controlled stroke pressing deeper within her. He was so careful, so tender and gentle, yet a pure raw strength all at the same time. There was something primal about the way he was looking at her – she'd seen that look in his eyes once before, on their prom night. She tilted her head to the right, exposing the crescent shaped scar on her neck that he'd inflicted upon her that first time they'd made love, when he'd marked her as his own.

"Don't," he choked out. The sound was gruff and raspy.

She ignored him. She wanted it – to completely and totally surrender herself and all that she was to him. She trusted him with her full heart and wanted to show him that. All fear and nervousness was gone. This was her husband. Her Gohan. And she gave herself to him fully.

His shoulders were shaking with a great effort to control himself. What was she doing? There was something breaking free within him, a primal instinct in his Saiyan blood that drove him to bond to his mate. A wave of gold flashed briefly over Gohan's hair as he fought to stay in control of his body. His thrusts quickened, his breathing became more ragged.

"You… don't know what… you're doing," he grunted.

She looked up at him, breathing heavily and answered, "Yes, I do. Take me, Gohan. Make me yours again."

His face was strained and he squeezed his eyes shut as he felt himself transform. His muscles bulged slightly, his hair stood on end in blonde spikes, his hard length swelled within her, making her cry out. When he opened his eyes to hers, they were a beautiful sea foam green.

"I… love… you," he panted.

"And I love you," she whispered.

Gohan gave in then, his thrusts coming faster and faster, driving himself as deeply into her warm depths as possible. She lifted her hips to meet him with each powerful stroke, her body accepting his savage assault. He laid his chest against hers, cradling her in his arms as he continued to plunge into the fiery wetness that drove him mad with desire.

Lindsey clutched at his back, her body aching in a way that she'd never known, wanting more of him. He stretched her to the very brink, driving so deep, so fast and hard that it was hard to tell where his body ended and hers began. She moaned deep in her throat, egging him on, tilting her head yet further, tantalizing him with the scar that sat in the smooth transition from her neck to her shoulder. She ran her hand along his spine, her fingertips lingering at the edge of the circular scar in the small of his back.

"Too much," he groaned.

A tiny smile pulled at the corners her lips and she circled the edge of the scar with her fingers. A new wave of pleasure washed over her as he responded to her touch, quickening his pace even more. His mouth was close to her neck, his breath hot on her throat. She could see the scar she'd left on his neck as well. He was close to finishing, she could tell. She could feel it within her, too. So close to the edge of bliss, both of them ravaging each other's bodies, doing everything they could to send the other into that pure oblivion. She kissed his shoulder as he slammed himself into her again, her body beginning to tighten over him.

He could feel her trembling, her moans becoming higher and shorter as she neared climax, and he smiled, pushing her further. A jolt of pleasure suddenly shot up his spine and washed over his entire being as she pressed the tips of her fingers against the scar on his lower back. He lost complete control then, roaring in pleasure and sinking his teeth into her neck, opening up the old scar and marking her once again as his own. A sharp pain seared his own neck as she bit back. Her body clenched tightly around his, so hot and slick, and he drove himself into her harder than he ever had before, sending them both into an orgasm that rocked them to their very cores. They cried out at the same time, nothing existed but their bodies, hers tightening around his hard length, his filling hers with white hot bliss, pressed so far within her neither could hardly stand it. Gohan's body shuddered as he finished, still lying on top of her, his hair still golden blonde.

She sighed deeply as she pulled her teeth from his neck, which began to bleed freely. "Oh no," she whined. "I hurt you."

"No," he gasped, running his tongue along the fresh wound he'd opened up on her neck. He was trembling all over and didn't want to pull himself from her body just yet. In fact, he wasn't sure that he was ready to stop at all.

"Gohan?" she asked nervously.

His pale green eyes met hers. "Can you keep going?" He asked, gently thrusting into her again.

She nodded, her every nerve on fire. He began his assault on her body again, slower this time, but still deep and powerful.

He couldn't help it. He had to have her again, had to fill her more completely with himself, his essence, to claim her as his. Gohan drove his throbbing shaft into her, reveling in the way she tightened around him again, taking him into her completely. She was so hot and wet on him… but he wanted her to take over now. Without breaking the contact between their bodies, he rolled to his side, pulling her with him, until she hovered over him, straddling his hips.

She sat quite still for a moment, gazing down at him. She leaned over him, her face close to his, touching the blonde spikes. "Where's MY Gohan?" she asked in a whisper. "I need him."

Gohan willed his body to relax, his hair and eyes turning dark once more. She smiled and began to grind on him, staring deep into her husband's beautiful black eyes. She pressed her lips to his, probing his mouth with her tongue. She ran her hands over his chest, scraping her nails across his nipples, making him jump and break the kiss. She giggled; he could be so ticklish at times. She sat up, continuing to grind on him, pressing herself lower over his hard length that already seemed to reach so deep inside her.

"You are so beautiful," he said softly, running his hands over her thighs.

"I'm glad you think so," she smiled back, arching her back a bit, sliding her hands over her chest.

He growled softly and reached for her, but she slapped at his hand and paused. "Ah, ah, ah," she said, wagging her finger at him. "You just watch."

He raised his eyebrows, but laced his fingers together behind his head, relaxing into the bed as he watched her wriggle and grind on him, bathing in the sheer enjoyment of feeling her sliding over him, clutching at him, bringing her body closer once again to the edge. She leaned over him again, one hand on either side of his head, her breasts close to his face. She kept pressing her chest closer to him, her hard nipples begging to be sucked. He tried not to smirk.

"Play with my tits," she begged softly.

"Nope," he grinned. "You said I only get to watch."

"Gohan!" she whined.

"Nope," he repeated.

"Please!" she bounced on him repeatedly, trying to entice him further.

The sudden change in pace made him moan. His hands slid from behind his head to her hips, bouncing her harder.

"Damn you," she growled, grabbing the back of his head and pulling his face to her breast.

He couldn't resist her anymore and drew her into his mouth, suckling hard, and she moaned loudly. His hand slid up to pinch the other, rolling the taught skin between his fingers.

"GOHAN!" she screamed, sliding rapidly up and down on his hard shaft. He raised his hips to meet hers, her body clutching and pulling at him, her wetness running down his body. "Oh god, YES."

"Come on, baby," he whispered against her chest.

She rode him hard, bringing herself closer until finally her body tensed and shook, a painfully strained groan issuing from her lips. She relaxed and collapsed against his chest and he smiled. He gently kissed her temple and whispered in her ear, "My turn." She gave an exhausted nod, gasping for air, sweat rolling down her neck.

He withdrew from her then, the cool air rushing over him and he slid out from underneath her. Keeping a hand on her back to tell her not to move, he got to his knees behind her and mounted her, his hair flashing to gold again.

He ran his hands over her curves, finally gripping her hips and pulling her harshly over his swollen member, their bodies meeting with a satisfying SLAP. He groaned loudly, the new angle giving him better access to drive deeper into her.

She reached for a pillow, yanking it to her and smashing her face into it, absolutely screaming in pure pleasure. So powerful were his thrusts that they almost hurt, but she was thoroughly enjoying every tiny sensation of him. His hands gripped her hips tightly, pulling her body to his over and over, his thick shaft delving deep into her velvety sheath. He slid a hand around her hip, reaching to the V between her legs, flicking the sensitive nub with his fingertips. She screamed harder and dug her fingers into the pillow.

Gohan was taking extreme joy in pleasuring his wife so. As far as he was concerned, she was a goddess and deserved to be treated as such, given every carnal pleasure a woman could endure. His jaw clenched as he pounded himself into her. He didn't know how much more she could withstand – she was so tight on him. He worried about hurting her and scaring her again. But he couldn't stop. No force on earth could have ended his desire for her in that moment, his need for release so strong. He'd already given her one load, but he wanted to fill her completely, to see it drip back out of her body, to feel it run down his own once he'd finished. He felt her clench over him again, signaling another orgasm and he increased his thrusting, taking advantage of the extra tightness to bring himself closer. This was becoming torturous.

"Come here," he growled, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her back against his chest. She was crying out in ecstasy still as he cupped her breasts again, pinching her nipples between his thumb and index finger, pulling and rolling them harshly. His teeth found the wound once more, sinking into her flesh and she whimpered, reaching down to cup him between her legs, rolling them gently in her hand. He roared in his throat, slamming into her harder. She concentrated on squeezing him, milking him, draining him. He appreciated her efforts, feeling himself starting to come. He felt the heat of it flow from his body, down his throbbing length and explode inside her, his body draining into hers. He gave a couple more shuddering thrusts, and then relaxed, releasing her neck from his bite.

His energy level fell, his hair once again jet black and he leaned his forehead against the back of her shoulder both of their bodies exhausted and covered in a sheen of sweat. He was breathing raggedly, struggling to catch his breath. He couldn't recall a time when he'd been so blissfully exhausted.

Lindsey leaned forward, sliding her body off of his, collapsing face-first into the pillows with a muffled, "Umph."

"Oh god, you're bleeding," he said, looking at her shoulder.

She rolled to her back, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. "You too."

"Come on," he said, taking her hands and pulling her to a sitting position. "We should bandage that." He slid from the bed to stand, but his knees were weak and hit the floor.

"Gohan!" she cried in alarm, crawling to the edge of the bed.

He lay on his side and laughed. "Oh man, I'm totally wiped out!"

"Are you okay?" she asked.

He nodded and laughed harder. He struggled to his knees, grabbing the back of her neck, laughing as he kissed her. "I love you so much, Lindsey."

She giggled and kissed him back. "I love you more."

He drew his knees up and rested his forearms against them, his breathing becoming easier. "I really gotta get up off this floor."

She winced as she threw her legs over the edge of the bed, testing her legs to see if she could stand. She was aching and felt strangely empty as she stood. "I'm not gonna be able to sit for a week."

"Sorry about that," he said, using the bed to pull himself to a standing position. Linking arms and leaning heavily on each other, they made their way to the bathroom. He rummaged in a cabinet as she leaned against the sink, studying her reflection in the mirror. Her once perfectly styled hair was hanging in wild curls around her face, half-wilted flowers dangling from the tangles. Deeply red blood seeped from the bite on her neck, trailing its way down her chest and back.

"Shit," Gohan said, reaching over with a washcloth and wiping away the blood. "I'm so sorry I bit you that hard. Twice."

"I hope it scars up darker this time," she said, still looking in the mirror.

"Huh?" he asked.

She turned to him. "I'm proud of it. I'm proud to be your wife."

"Silly girl," he said softly, but he smiled and dabbed at the wound with the cloth, pressing a bandage over it. "And I'm proud to be your husband."


	58. The Story Yet Untold

"Welcome back, guys!" Dende cried, running forward with Mr. Popo on his heels. "How was your trip? It's been so long since we've seen you!"

"Oh my!" said Mr. Popo, "Look at the little one!"

Jenny smiled and said, "This is Paige."

The infant blinked up at them with her blue eyes in wonder, then grinned widely.

"She looks just like you, Piccolo," Dende said, stepping forward and getting a closer look. "I didn't know we… that is to say, Nameks… that we could… uh…"

"Have children with earthlings?" Piccolo offered.

"Well, yeah," Dende answered, looking up at Piccolo.

"Neither did I," he answered truthfully.

"She's the first female Namek, isn't she?" Dende asked.

"Technically, she's a hybrid, like Gohan and Trunks," Piccolo said, "But yes, I suppose she is."

"I wonder what kind of powers she'll have," Dende said quietly.

"The only powers she has right now are the powers to eat, sleep and cry," Jenny said, shifting baby from her arms to her shoulder. "And if I'm right, she's about to do all three here in a minute. Let me feed her and then we'll see about settling in."

Piccolo stared after Jenny as she walked across the lookout, baby Paige peering over her mommy's shoulder. Piccolo gave a small wave and the baby grinned back at him.

* * *

"Ah, warm weather again," Seventeen grinned as he leaned back in the leather seat of his Jeep, flying down an Arizona highway.

Leelee had her bare feet on the dashboard, her arms tucked behind her head, staring up at the open sky above them. The wind whipped her hair around her face as she sighed contentedly. "Wanna go see the Grand Canyon?"

"Might as well," Seventeen said. "We're here anyway." He dug in his pocket, keeping one hand on the steering wheel, pulling a small wad of fabric from his pocket. He hooked the black and pink garter over the rearview mirror. "There we go."

Leelee smiled appreciatively. "Nice." She reached over and clicked on the radio.

"So where to, m'lady?" Seventeen asked over the roaring wind and blaring speakers.

"Anywhere," Leelee sighed dreamily.

* * *

"Race ya!" Catie screamed, running across the sand, a surfboard tucked under one arm, a long thin rope tethering it to her ankle.

Trunks raced after her, a board of his own held high above his head. He drew even with her as they hit the water, splashing noisily until they couldn't run anymore, finally laying chest-down on their boards and paddling out to sea. They crested over some smaller waves, holding their breath and diving under the bigger ones until they reached their destination. Trunks pushed himself to a sitting position, straddling his board. Catie did the same, flipping her long, wet hair over her shoulder where it hit her back with a smack.

"This is great, Catie," Trunks grinned. "I'm so glad we decided to do this."

"Me too," she answered. She gazed out over the horizon, nothing but an endless sea of blue, looking towards the west. Somewhere out there were Lindsey and Gohan, and further beyond, Jenny and Piccolo. She smiled to herself. 'I hope you girls are having fun.'

Trunks reached over and slapped Catie's knee, bringing her back to her surroundings. "Get ready, here comes a good one."

Catie eyed the wave and said, "You take it. I'll get the next one."

"You sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," she answered.

He nodded and maneuvered his board to catch the wave. He took off with it, shouting to the open air as he stood on the board, trailing his fingers in the wall of water.

She glanced back to the west, where her friends were starting their new lives. "I'll wait my turn."

* * *

Gohan woke as a warm breeze washed over him. He stretched and reached for Lindsey, but jumped in alarm to find the bed empty. He sat bolt upright, looking frantically around the room, with no sign of her in sight. "Lindsey?!" he shouted, jumping out of bed and pulling on a pair of boxers. The big French doors were hanging open, the chiffon curtains billowing in the hot morning breeze. He found her on the balcony, sitting at the small patio table, in her black and white polkadot bikini, her feet propped on the table and a big black sunhat shading her face and shoulders. The left side of her neck had scabbed over and she had removed the bandage. His was nearly healed again - the pale scar a shiny crescent on his neck.

"Morning," he smiled and took the chair next to her.

She turned slowly and returned his smile. "Morning, love." She leaned over and kissed him deeply, butterflies erupting in her stomach as she did so. It was the most blissful feeling in the world.

Gohan sat back, the hot sun dancing across his skin, warming him to the core. Something was bothering him, he didn't want to bring it up, but he had no choice. "Did you have a dream again last night?"

She stared at her knees and smiled. "Yeah, I did." The memory was still fresh in her mind.

"Was it a bad one?" he asked nervously. "You were yelling in your sleep. Sounded like you said, 'Let her go.'"

She shook her head. "I said, 'Look at her go.' The horse – the one that kept following me in my dreams?"

He nodded.

"She's not hurt anymore," Lindsey said, smiling up at the sky. "She was whole and beautiful again. She was running across the field." She understood the horse now. It wasn't Eclipse. And it wasn't a monster following her around. It was herself.

"Good deal," Gohan said. He grabbed a bagel from the table and took a bite, looking out over the breath-taking ocean view. "Can we just stay here forever?"

"As long as I'm with you, I don't really care where we are," she said.

"Two weeks here isn't going to be long enough," Gohan said.

"If we even make it out of the hotel room," she said seductively, pulling her big sunglasses down her nose, winking at him.

Gohan tossed the half-eaten bagel back on the table. "Don't have to ask me twice," he said around a mouthful of food. He swallowed, brushing the crumbs from his fingers and standing, scooping his wife into his arms as she shrieked with laughter. He held her close, kissing her fiercely, carrying her back inside the room and tossing her on the bed where she bounced and laughed again. He threw aside the boxers he'd pulled on and crawled across the bed towards her. She tossed her hat and glasses on the nightstand, then reached for him as he lay over her body. She locked her leg over the back of his thigh, pulling him closer to her. She slid her hands up his hard biceps, curling her fingers over his rounded shoulders. He was kissing her hard, pressing his body against hers, pinning her to the bed. He pulled back, stopping to stare into her green eyes. He brushed a piece of her hair away from her forehead. "I love you so much," he whispered.

"Not nearly as much as I love you," she answered.

"Oh really?" he laughed. "I doubt that."

"Well, I intend to spend the rest of my life proving it."

"All right," Gohan smiled. "You're on."

* * *

Author's final note: I hope you all have enjoyed reading this as much as I had writing it. Thank you to everyone who has viewed my story. Reviews are always appreciated! I will start the next story soon, so check my profile if you liked this. Thanks again!


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